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THE 


1 / 


THREE ROYAL MAGI: 

♦ I , , ■ 


OR, 


3mtntn| tn JJktjjUjjeni. 


. - L 

BY THE AUTHOR OP “THE BLIND ORPHAN BOY.” 


TRANSLATED, ALTERED, AND ARRANGED BY 

C. E. BLUMENTHAL, A. M. 

PROFESSOR OF HEBREW AND MODERN LANGUAGES 
IN DICKINSON COLLEGE. 




PHILADELPHIA : 

HENRY PERKINS, 22 SOUTH FOURTH ST. 

1850. 

y^V 



> 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and fifty, by Henry Perkins, in the Clerk’s Office 
of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



STEREOTYPED BY t. JOHNSON AND CO. 
PHILADELPHIA. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The beautiful story which is pre- 
sented in the following pages is a free 
translation of a tale by the author of 
“The Blind Orphan Boy,” one of the 
best German writers of books for the 
young. 

It will be found a very suitable book 
for Sunday-schools, and for young per- 
sons of every class; and I have no 
doubt that it will be interesting to some 
of riper years. Its lessons of stern in- 
tegrity, strict adherence to the precepts 
l* 5 




6 


INTRODUCTION. 


of the Bible, and firm reliance upon the 
promises of God, are most important in, 
forming the Christian character. 

I have thought it advisable to omit 
various passages of the original, and to 
make some additions which I consi- 
dered necessary to its usefulness in 
this country. 


Carlisle , Pa. 


C. E. B. 




CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

TAGE 

The Sacrifice 9 

CHAPTER II. 

The Greek and the Jew ...../. 24 

CHAPTER III. 

The Princess 34 

CHAPTER IV. 

Isaiah becomes a Teacher 53 

CHAPTER V. 

Isaiah in Trouble 68 


7 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER YI. 

PAG1 

The Journey ....*.. 93 

CHAPTER VII. 

Life in the East 113 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Observatory 129 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Ambush 143 

CHAPTER X. 

Judea 153 

' ' 

CHAPTER XI. 

Bethlehem 168 

CHAPTER XII. 


The Future 


182 


THE 


THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE SACRIFICE. 

At the time of the emperor Augustus, 
when Rome and its citizens had already be- 
come the model of all that was refined, 
learned, and polished, Germany was still a 
savage and uncultivated region. Dark and 
gloomy forests intersected by innumerable 
marshes covered its soil. But darker than 
the shades of its woods was the night of ig- 
norance and superstition that rested upon 
the inhabitants ; and more stagnant than its 
marshes, the stolidity with which they pur- 
sued the ways of their barbarous ancestors. 

The Greeks and Romans had, long before 

this period, erected those splendid struc- 

9 


10 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI." 

tures, many of which are still existing, and 
are to this day admired as monuments of 
ancient architecture : hut the Germans dwelt 
still in caves or rudely constructed huts. 
While the former led a life of luxury and 
ease ; the latter lived upon the game of the 
forest, slain by their own hands, upon the 
milk of their cows, upon acorns, and a bever- 
age made of barley or wheat. They wor- 
shipped the sun, the moon and the earth, 
and their priests practised the horrid rite 
of human sacrifice, sometimes to honor, and 
sometimes to appease their false gods. 

The poor Germans were, indeed, in a very 
wretched spiritual and temporal condition, 
at the time in which the incidents of the fol- 
lowing narrative are laid. 


Black and gloomy were the shades of the 
night that rested upon the oak and beech 
forests of Germany: not even a ray of the 
moon or of the twinkling stars could pene- 
trate the thick foliage. Beneath the wide- 
spreading branches, every thing was as 
silent as the grave. Men and animals were 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


11 


asleep ; and if a sound broke tbe death-like 
quiet, it was only caused by some bird of 
night flapping its wings, or a decayed branch 
falling to the ground. 

About the hour of midnight, the glimmer- 
ing of a light appeared between the giant 
trunks of the trees. Gradually, as it came 
nearer, it became more distinct, and proved 
to proceed from a torch in the hand of a 
man, who advanced with a slow step and 
with great caution from beneath the trees, 
towards an open place in the forest. The 
simple garment of the torch-bearer reached 
only to his knees, his legs were bare, and a 
girdle made of the untanned skin of the 
deer fastened his garment around his waist. 
His feet were protected by sandals, an arti- 
cle never worn by the Germans. His head 
was covered with thick, black curls, that 
shaded an olive complexion, and his neck, as 
well as the upper part of his body, was per- 
fectly bare. He appeared to be a man 
about thirty or thirty-five years of age. 
Vexation and wrath were depicted in every 
lineament of his countenance. 

As he passed along, he struck inadvert- 


12 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


ently with his foot against the body of a 
man, who, stretched out beneath the tree, 
was fast asleep. Several German warriors, 
who, with heavy clubs beside them, were 
lying near their companion, immediately 
raised their heads to examine the night- 
wanderer; but he satisfied their inquiring 
looks, by saying aloud, in broken German : 
“It is Perinthes, he goes to sharpen the 
knives of the priests for the coming sa- 
crifice.” 

Then he passed on, muttering to himself, 
in Greek: “Oh! that all these pale, red- 
haired and blue-eyed calves had but one 
throat and but one heart, so that I could 
with a single thrust destroy them all ! Who 
would have foretold me, three years ago, 
that I would become the slave of these Bar- 
barian brutes ! Where is now my marble 
palace, with its pillars and lofty halls? 
Where now my table, covered with the 
choicest delicacies and noble wines ? Where 
are the soft carpets and silken garments? 
Where is my gold and silver? Far away 
in my sunny native land, in happy Greece. 
And I am the base slave of despicable Bar- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


13 


barians ; my food is the food of swine ; my 
couch, the cold wet ground; my garments 
are those of a beggar ; and my most poignant 
grief is — that I cannot avenge myself upon 
these German brutes.” 

Suddenly he stopped in the midst of his 
soliloquy. Raising his torch, so that its 
light fell upon two rows of men, whose hands 
and feet were bound with cords, and who 
appeared to be fast asleep, he scanned the fea- 
tures of the captives for a few seconds in si- 
lence, and then continued : “For your throats 
are these knives to be sharpened ! — Well, no 
matter ! you also are Barbarians, and this 
makes my task less unpleasant. They 
sleep ! It is their last sleep upon earth ! 
Doomed sacrifices to honor the sun, the moon, 
and Tuisko, the son of Nerthus ! And yet not 
a statue of either of these gods is ever seen 
here. These Barbarians are so stupid that 
they do not know even how to make an 
image of their divinity ! Oh ye gods of my 
country, have pity upon me ! Thundering 
Jupiter ! where are thy bolts, that they do 
not strike these Germans, and thus liberate 


14 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


thy worshipper ? Chaste Diana ! be thou 
my guide through these dark and gloomy 
forests ? And thou winged Mercury ! 
hasten to me, with a consoling message 
from my far off country ! Come Bacchus ! 
come, and intoxicate me with thy noble 
gift, the juice of the grape, that I may, if 
but for a time, forget the sufferings of my 
captivity!” Thus did this poor idolater 
lament in heathen blindness over his sor- 
rows. But again he stopped and exclaimed : 
“Ha! what do I see here?” Bending 
down over one of the sleepers, he continued : 
“ This must be a native of my own country ! 
The black curls around his brow, his flow- 
ing beard, his olive complexion, all indicate 
it. He raises his dark eyes to look at 
me. My friend ! art thou not a Greek like 
myself? Oh ! say yes ! that I may have at 
least one consolation.” 

“I am an Israelite,” replied the prisoner 
in broken Greek. 

“Alas, alas !” exclaimed Perinthes — though 
in a subdued tone — “a Hebrew! a man 
without any gods !” 

The Jew replied in a solemn lone : “ The 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI, 15 

Lord our God is one God, and there is no 
other God beside him !” 

“ Where is he then, thy God !” asked Pe- 
rinthes, in a mocking tone. “ He does not 
seem to care much about thee just now.” 

Again the Jew replied: “ The Lord’s 
throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his 
eyelids try the children of men. But the 
fool hath said in his heart, There is no 
God.” 

Here their conversation was interrupted 
by a loud whistle, a signal of one of the sen- 
tinels around the camp. Perinthes, who 
feared being detected in conversation with a 
prisoner set apart as a sacrifice, moved on, 
and finally disappeared at the entrance of a 
grotto in a neighboring rock. 

Nothing further occurred during the night. 
Gradually a gray twilight began to dawn 
over the vast forest, and ushered in the day 
set apart for the offering up of the bloody 
sacrifice. Long before sunrise, the place be- 
fore the grotto w T as filled with German war- 
riors, who formed a semicircle, . leaving a 
sufficient space for the performance of the 
ceremonies. Heathen priests with long 


16 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


hair, flowing beards, and white loose gar- 
ments, came forward and cut the cords with 
which the captives were bound; and then 
placed before each one his last meal. All 
the prisoners partook of it with stoical in- 
difference, except the Jew: he gently but 
firmly refused the acorns that were offered 
to him. 

A few minutes afterwards, the crowd that 
stood around the prisoners separated to make 
room for a double file of warriors, who pre- 
ceded the German king Balthasar, in order 
to clear the way before him. 

Balthasar, though a great king among his 
people, had no crown upon his head nor 
a sceptre in his hand. His royal mantle 
was merely a shaggy bearskin; and his 
powerful breast, undecorated by star or rib- 
bon, was covered by a small wooden plate. 
But in his right hand he held the strong 
ashen lance of the German warrior, and his 
girdle supported the mighty German stone 
battle-axe, the favorite weapon of our Teu- 
tonic ancestors. He was a man of about 
thirty years of age, and only distinguished 
from his subjects, by his almost gigantic 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


17 


stature, and his lofty and noble bearing. 
His golden locks fell gracefully over his 
shoulders, and his honest blue eyes, charac- 
teristic of his race, harmonized finely with 
his fair and rosy face, and looked like for- 
get-me-nots near a peaceful brook. He ad- 
vanced with a slow and patriarchal step, 
between his warriors and the spectators. 
Every eye was bent upon him with feel- 
ings of love and sympathy, and all greet- 
ed him, by placing their right hands upon 
their hearts, while their left seized with 
a firmer grasp the lance which always ac- 
companied the German freemen. They 
were living walls around their sovereign, 
and formed a better protection than the 
stony ramparts of the strongest castle. 

Behind the king came four German girls, 
carrying a litter covered with soft skins, 
upon which a young maiden reclined. She 
was the only and beloved child of Balthasar, 
the treasure which his dying wife had re- 
commended him to guard as the apple of his 
eye. But the princess was not like the rest 
of the girls in her country, who grew up 
lively and gay like the fawns, and strong 


18 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


as the oaks in their own native forests, 
she resembled more a pale white rose, 
raised in a hot-house. The priests and the 
superstitious soothsayers of the king insisted 
that the child was bewitched : and it was on 
her account mainly that they were about to 
shed the blood of human beings, upon the 
altar of their false gods, hoping thereby to 
appease their anger, and to induce them to 
restore the daughter of their prince to 
health and strength. 

As soon as the king had reached the 
place reserved for him, the girls advanced 
and placed the litter beside him, and then 
ranged themselves behind it. Balthasar 
looked first at his child with all a father’s 
fondness, and then turned, with the rest of 
the people, toward the priests, who, with the 
high-priest Mamuh at their head, issued now 
from the grotto, muttering prayers, and ad- 
vanced slowly toward the intended victims. 

The prisoners that were to be sacrificed 
to the sun were ranged on an open space, 
where that orb, now just rising above the 
horizon, shed its first golden-colored beams 
through the thick foliage; those destined 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


19 


as an offering to the moon occupied a spot 
where that pale, waning luminary, threw 
still a sickly light upon our planet ; while 
the third division, reserved as a sacrifice to 
Nerthus, surrounded a newly dug pit, in- 
tended to receive the warm blood of these 
poor victims of heathen idolatry. 

Erna, the daughter of the king, looked 
timidly at those nearest to her, who stood 
silent and resigned, with downcast eyes 
and folded arms, awaiting their fate. 

As soon as each priest had with one hand 
seized his victim, and with the other the 
long sharp, granite knife, which he drew 
from his belt, the bystanders commenced 
blowing their horns. And all the assembled 
multitude joined with loud cries in the 
prayers which the priests addressed to their 
imaginary gods. 

Similar artifices have been employed in 
all ages, by idolatrous priests, to stifle the 
voice of nature in the spectators of their 
bloody rites. But notwithstanding all the 
efforts used in this instance to drown the 
cries and groans of the sufferers when in the 
last agony, there arose every now and then, 


20 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


some more piercing shriek, heard clearly and 
distinctly even above that almost unearthly 
din, and when it reached Erna’s ear it 
caused her whole frame to shudder and 
tremble. 

Suddenly all became silent. The chorus 
of voices was hushed, and for a few seconds 
it appeared as if the stillness of the grave 
had fallen upon the assembly. It was bro- 
ken by a clear voice, praying in a solemn 
and lofty tone : u Jehovah ! Adonai ! Lord 
our God ! If thou wilt abide with me, I 
care for nothing else, though my body suf- 
fer and die. Thou, Jehovah, art my hope 
and my consolation ! The Lord is on my 
side; I will not fear; what can man do 
unto me ?” 

Erna, who heard the prayer, though she 
understood not the words in which it was 
uttered, was struck with the solemn and no- 
ble tone of the speaker, and turning her eyes 
toward the spot, she beheld a stranger with 
raven locks and a flowing beard kneeling 
by the hole in the ground, his face turned 
to the east and his hands lifted up in prayer. 

Balthasar, who also seemed interested by 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


21 


the spectacle of the praying Israelite, made 
a sign to the priest, and the sacrificial knife, 
which was already lifted over the head of 
the Jew, was withdrawn. The king then 
turned to Perinthes, who stood near him, 
and said — “ Slave ! dost thou understand 
what yon stranger says?” 

The cunning Greek replied, u 0 yes, my 
lord ! He is a Hebrew, and curses thy 
daughter because he has heard that on her 
account all these victims are slain. He ac- 
knowledged to me last night that he is a 

mighty enchanter, and therefore . But 

look, my lord ! the Hebrew’s incantations 
have already taken effect upon thy child.” 

Erna, who had struggled for some time 
with feelings excited by the bloody scene 
to which she had been an eye-witness, was 
at last overcome, and fainted just as the 
stranger closed his prayer. 

Painting and hysterics were rare and inex- 
plicable phenomena among our ancestors, and 
whenever they occurred were always ascribed 
to the influence of some malignant power. 

When Balthasar beheld his daughter pale 
and death-like, stretched upon her couch, he 


22 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


said hastily to the Greek : “ Go, Perinthes, 
and beseech the stranger to recall the male- 
dictions which he has poured out upon the 
head of my poor and helpless child.” 

“And what am I to offer him as an in- 
ducement to do so ?” inquired the Greek. 
“ I know hut one promise that would influ- 
ence him to yield to thy wishes, and that is 
the promise to save him from the fate with 
which he is now threatened.” 

“ So he it then,” replied the king, and he 
made a second sign to the priest, who still 
held his prisoner in his grasp, upon which 
the latter, though reluctantly, released his 
intended victim. At that time the priests 
had not as yet become bold enough to defy 
the will of the sovereign. 

Perinthes then approached, and said to 
the Jew in Greek : “ Listen to me, stranger ! 
Although thou art only a superstitious He- 
brew, yet have I taken thy part before this 
Barbarian king, and I have obtained a pro- 
mise from him that thy life shall be spared. 
I hope thou wilt prove hereafter that thou 
art grateful for the service which I have ren- 
dered thee this day.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


23 


Although the Jew did not understand 
every word of what Perinthes said to him, 
yet he knew enough of Greek to comprehend 
his general meaning. But instead of express- 
ing his thanks to his human deliverer, he lift- 
ed again his head and eyes toward heaven, 
and with a loud voice praised God, saying : 
“ Jehovah ! Thou art the God who sends help 
to those that trust in thee; Thou art the 
Lord who savest from death. Praised he 
thy holy name, Sela.” 

The Greek then turned to Balthasar, and 
said: “He recalls the curse which he pro- 
nounced upon thy daughter, 0 king ! 

and behold ! already Erna revives. Why 
are not your gods as ready and powerful to 
give aid as those of our blessed Orient?” 

Balthasar pretended not to hear the lat- 
ter part of this speech, but busied himself 
with his child, who was still very pale. He 
ordered her attendants to carry her back to 
his dwelling, and then withdrew from the 
ground. 

The people dispersed as soon as the king had 
left, and the place became as silent and lonely 
as it had been animated a short time before. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


24 ' 


CHAPTER II. 

THE GREEK AND THE JEW. 

On the evening of the same day, the 
Greek and the Jew were sitting beneath 
the wide-spreading branches of an old oak 
tree. On their right there was a small hut 
with a low opening, which resembled more 
the entrance to the lair of a wild beast than 
that to a human habitation. By the side 
of it was a board, which served for a door 
during the night, to prevent wild beasts from 
entering. Above them shone the full moon, 
surrounded by a host of twinkling stars. 

“By the Styx!” said Perinthes to his 
companion, “ if it had not been for me, thou 
wouldst never more have looked upon the 
moon. The knife which was suspended over 
thy head, hung but by a hair. Well mightst 
thou ask why I turned it aside. I will tell 
thee ; because thou art a captive like myself, 
and a native of the East ; and I considered 
further that two men would be able to effect 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


25 


an escape better than one. All our efforts 
must hereafter be bent upon freeing our- 
selves from this hateful bondage. It would 
be impossible for me to find my way alone 
out of these woods, and to reach my native 
land ; neither would I be willing to expose 
myself, unaided, to the attacks of the wild 
beasts that frequent these forests : but with 
thee for a companion my courage is in- 
creased, and I hope to succeed in the under- 
taking. But, my good Isaiah,” continued 
Perinthes, with a sneer upon his lips, while 
he pushed a bowl full of acorns toward him, 
“ why dost thou not eat of these delicious 
pomegranates, figs, and grapes?” Then, 
after a few moments of silence, he said, with 
a sigh : “ Alas ! in this miserable country 
every thing is miserable. What a poor king 
is this Balthasar ! the slaves in my house 
are better dressed than he. Then, again, 
look at his palace ! the meanest peasant in 
my country would disdain to live in it.” 

Isaiah, forgetting who was his companion, 
exclaimed: “ 0 thou lovely Zion ! thou mag- 
nificent temple of Jerusalem!” 

Perinthes smiled contemptuously, and 
3 


26 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


said, in a compassionate tone : “ It is very 
evident that thou hast never been in Greece, 
and that thou hast never seen the magnifi- 
cent temple of Diana of Ephesus. One 
pillar of that Grecian temple is worth all 
the temples of the Hebrews.” 

But Isaiah replied: “We have but one 
temple. We acknowledge but one God, 
and he is the only true God.” 

“Ye are a poor people indeed,” said Pe- 
rinthes. “But let us return to the main 
subject of our conversation. Our noble Ger- 
man masters, when not engaged in making 
war or in hunting, are as lazy as hogs. 
Barbarians ! they know no other pleasure, 
at such times, than that of munching acorns, 
feeding upon half-raw meat, or swilling their 
miserable beverage made of oats or barley, 
and spending their time in gambling. 0 ye 
gods of high Olyiiipus ! how can ye look 
down upon them, without having your just 
ire excited? Why do ye not smite them 
with your thunderbolts, as ye did the Titans 
of old?” 

Perinthes was so excited that he did not 
notice the dark shadow which came over the 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


27 


countenance of his companion, whenever he 
called upon his false gods, and that Isaiah 
had moved farther off, and gazed upon him 
with a look of mingled horror and aver- 
sion. 

In order to interrupt these impious excla- 
mations, Isaiah inquired of his companion 
how he came to he a captive and a slave to 
these Barbarians. And then continued : 
“ As for me, I became their prisoner, when 
they attacked the Roman camp at Magun- 
tia, where I spent a short time in some com- 
mercial transactions.” 

“And I,” said Perinthes, “was travelling 
in my own vessel upon the Danube, to visit 
an almost unknown country, where I hoped 
to gather additional wealth, when my vessel 
was suddenly wrecked. A horde of Barba- 
rians seized us, as we reached the shore. I 
was separated from my companions, dragged 
from one nation to another, until I became 
at last the property of this German king, 
who purchased me, thinking that I was a 
physician, and that I would cure his sick 
child. I did not undeceive him, for his mis- 
take preserves me from falling a victim to 


28 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

their bloody superstition. Forced by neces- 
sity, I learned the language of the Barbarians, 
a language which is worse than gall to my 
Greek tongue. I wonder sometimes that I 
am still alive, when I recollect that I have 
already spent two winters in this country, a 
country cursed by the gods ; and which with 
its inhabitants, wild beasts, bitter acorns, 
cold fogs and deep snows, appears more hor- 
rible to me than Tartarus with all its tor- 
ments.’ ’ 

“ Dost thou understand then how to cure 
diseases?” asked Isaiah. “Art thou really 
a physician ?” 

“Yes, indeed,” replied Perinthes, with a 
laugh. “Just as much as Phaeton is like 
Phoebus. I cure hap-hazard, and am per- 
fectly satisfied, as long as Erna only does 
not become worse. It is true, her father has 
promised to give me my liberty as soon as she 
gets well ; but I have no faith in his pro- 
mise; on the contrary, I fear that, as soon 
as he thinks that he can do without my ser- 
vices, he will sacrifice me as a thank-offering 
to his bloody gods.” 

To this Isaiah replied: “It is currently 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


29 


reported among the Romans, that the Bar- 
barians consider their promises as sacred.” 

“No, no,” said Perinthes, “I have no 
more confidence in these Germans than I 
have in the Romans; and I should think 
you Hebrews could tell something of Roman 
faith.” 

A deep sigh was all the reply which 
Isaiah made to this remark. His thoughts 
were with his people, and he mourned to 
think that Israel, the chosen of the Lord, 
was tributary to the Romans, who, under the 
pretence of protecting the nation against its 
powerful enemies, had subdued it with their 
legions, and were now exhausting its re- 
sources, by means of their greedy procu- 
rators. 

“ Our first and greatest care now,” Pe- 
rinthes continued, “must be to prepare 
every thing for our escape ; for that must be 
accomplished before the winter sets in. It 
is true, we are suffered to wander about 
throughout the whole camp, wherever we 
please, but any attempt at flight, if dis- 
covered, would immediately be followed by 
3 * 


30 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


the punishment of death. And yet it will 
be very difficult for us to find our way out 
of this labyrinth of woods, without the risk 
of falling into the hands of some other Bar- 
barian tribe. Companion of my sufferings ! 
let us therefore rouse all our energies for the 
task ! But, my Hebrew friend, why dost thou 
not partake of this haunch of venison ? I 
have prepared it with some care ; it is cer- 
tainly more palatable than their hog feed, 
which they call acorns.” 

Isaiah declined the proffered food, saying : 
“ The religion of my fathers prohibits this 
kind of meat.” 

Perinthes, with a contemptuous look at his 
companion, replied: “Very well, follow the 
superstition of thy fathers. I will now pre- 
pare for a good night’s rest ; and thou canst 
follow my example. Let us enter our 
sumptuous apartment,” here he pointed to 
the rude hut, “ and rely for safety upon our 
numerous guards.” 

Isaiah excused himself, saying: “ Pardon 
me for again declining thy kind invitation. 
I have a solemn duty to perform before I 
retire.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


31 


Perinthes replied, gaping : “ If it is some 
act of worship connected with thy supersti- 
tion, perform it, if it is any thing else, I ob- 
ject to it.” 

Isaiah. I go to give thanks to my God, 
who has this day delivered me from death, 
as he delivered his prophet Daniel from the 
jaws of the lions. Our holy writings say: 
“ Give thanks unto the Lord, and pay thy 
vows to the Most High.” 

Perinthes. But pray, what hast thou 
that thou couldst bring as an offering ? not 
even a poor libation of wine, much less 
sweet incense, to kindle upon an altar. 

Isaiah. To obey is better than sacrifice, 
and to hearken, than the fat of rams. 

Perinthes exclaimed impatiently: “To 
have a good night’s rest is the best thing 
just now for me.” With these words upon 
his lips, he crept into his hut, closing the 
aperture behind him with the board which 
was ordinarily used for that purpose. 

Isaiah went forth into the woods, and 
when he had found an open space, he knelt 
down, with his face turned toward the east, 
according to the custom of his people, to 


32 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


thank God for the deliverance vouchsafed to 
him that day. 

He was so much absorbed in his devo- 
tional exercises, that he did not observe a 
dusky figure standing in the shadow of a 
large oak tree, and apparently watching all 
his motions. When he had poured out his 
heart before God in prayer and praise, he 
rose from his knees and bent his steps to- 
ward the hut where Perinthes slept. But 
when he had arrived before the aperture 
which served as a door, he stopped, and said 
to himself: “And has it come to this! 
Must I, an Israelite, not only dwell beneath 
the roof of a heathen, but even share his 
couch ! How dare I thus voluntarily defile 
myself! No, no, beware Isaiah, better far 
to lie here exposed to cold and dampness, 
than knowingly to sin against the law.” 

He then made himself a couch of leaves, 
beneath a large beech-tree, and, exhausted 
as he was from anxiety and loss of rest, 
sleep soon wrapped him, like a tender mo- 
ther, in its gentle and soothing folds. When 
he awoke at the dawn of day, he perceived, 
with astonishment, that a bear-skin had 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


33 


been thrown over him, which diffused a plea- 
sant warmth through his body. In vain did 
he task his ingenuity to discover his kind 
benefactor. It never occurred to him, that 
King Balthasar, having been a silent witness 
of his evening devotions, and seeing him 
afterwards asleep beneath the beech-tree, 
had covered him with his own bear-skin. 


34 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


CHAPTER III. 

THE PRINCESS. 

A few days after the event related in the 
previous chapter had taken place, Isaiah 
was ordered to appear before the king. He 
obeyed the royal mandate without delay, 
after he had humbly and devoutly spent a 
few moments in prayer, asking God to 
supply him with wisdom and strength for 
the interview. The hut of the king differed 
in nothing but size from those of his 
subjects. An immense oak occupied the 
centre, and constituted the main support of 
the building ; the walls were rude logs, fas- 
tened to a number of young beech and oak 
trees ; while skins of animals, sewed together, 
formed the doors, and the partitions in the 
interior. There was neither a window nor 
a loop-hole anywhere to be seen, the only 
aperture, besides the entrance to the hut, was 
a hole at the top, that suffered a few strag- 
gling sunbeams to penetrate into the in- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


35 


terior. Several minutes elapsed after Isaiah 
had been conducted into one of the apart- 
ments of this hut, before he could distinguish 
the animate and inanimate objects which it 
contained. The first person who presented 
herself to his sight, after he had become 
somewhat accustomed to the dim light, was 
Erna the princess, a girl about fifteen years 
of age, and evidently afflicted with an un- 
usual disease. She reclined upon a couch 
of soft skins; but her whole frame shook 
with violent convulsions. The muscles of 
her fair and rather beautiful face were agi- 
tated with a spasmodic emotion, and her 
outstretched arms beat the air, as if they 
were wings. Sometimes the poor girl would 
burst into hysterical laughter, followed by 
equally hysterical sobs, or would spring to 
her feet and begin to whirl about like a top, 
accompanying herself with an unmelodious 
singing. 

Near her stood Balthasar, with grief and 
agony depicted upon his face, while he 
looked at his child and compressed his lips 
as if he feared to give utterance to his feel- 
ings. 


36 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


A long train of female attendants stood 
behind and by the side of that couch of suf- 
fering ; some of them were weeping, and all 
seemed to feel for their afflicted young mis- 
tress. Before the couch, a priest was lying 
upon the ground muttering prayers, while 
Perinthes, who stood by his side, looked at 
him with a sardonic smile upon his lips. 

As soon as the Greek saw Isaiah, he beck- 
oned to him to approach, and then turned to 
the priest, whom he addressed in an authori- 
tative tone* saying: “Arise, Mamuh, and 
aid me in quelling the evil spirit of which 
Erna is possessed.” 

The priest arose in obedience to this com- 
mand, but, while he did so, he cast a look of 
bitter hatred upon the two foreigners. He 
then seized one of Erna’s arms, in accord- 
ance with the Greek’s direction, while the 
latter laid hold of the other arm, and they 
endeavoured in this way, by main force, to 
arrest the violent contortions of the poor 
girl. Erna, in her anguish, endeavoured at 
first to shake them off, but when she failed 
in this, her cries and groans became so fear- 
ful and heart-rending that they brought 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


37 


tears into lier father’s eyes, and he hid his 
face in his hands, exclaiming : “ Oh, why 
can I not suffer for thee, my child?” The 
unnatural strength with which the disease 
supplied her, during the paroxysms, failed 
her at last, and she fell back upon her couch 
prostrate and exhausted, but moaning and 
sobbing hysterically. Balthasar, who could 
no longer endure the sight of such suffering, 
besought Isaiah with the most imploring ges- 
tures to relieve the child ; but Isaiah, who 
did not understand the language of the king, 
looked inquiringly at Perinthes. 

The Greek replied to this look by saying : 
“ The king asks thee to help his daughter. 
Come then, and let us have a specimen of 
thy skill as a mighty enchanter. I am anx- 
ious to see how thou wilt acquit thyself, and 
whether the disciple will be greater than the 
master.” 

Isaiah did not answer, but kept his 
eyes steadily fixed upon Erna’s eyes with 
an expression in his countenance, which 
indicated a powerful mental struggle ; then 

suddenly turning to his companions, he said, 
4 


38 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


“ Let go the arms of the <5hild and leave her 
to me.” 

“I have no objections to do so,” said Pe- 
rinthes, sneeringly ; and withdrawing his 
hand from Erna’s arm, he made a sign to 
the high-priest to follow his example. As 
soon as they left her, the child began to 
breathe more regularly, though every one 
of her limbs was still agitated by continued 
spasms. 

Isaiah then approached her couch, and 
laying his left hand upon her head, while 
his right was raised in the attitude of 
prayer, he said, with a solemn voice : u Are 
we not all the children of one Father ? Has 
not the same God created us ? And should 
a brother disdain his Father’s child ? God 
of my fathers, forbid that an Israelite 
should do thus ! Hear me, 0 thou great 
Jehovah ! God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, have compassion upon this maiden, 
although not a daughter of Abraham, and 
release her from the power of Beelzebub, 
the chief of the devils.” 

When he had finished his invocation, 
he placed both hands upon Erna’s head, 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


39 


as if about to bless her, then he moved 
them gently downward over her shoulders 
and arms, and continued to repeat these 
manipulations for a few minutes, when he 
saw his efforts crowned w r ith success. The 
spasms ceased and Erna fell into a gentle 
sleep. 

As soon as Isaiah had left the couch upon 
which Erna was reposing, Perinthes stepped 
up to him, and said : “ Dost thou really think 
that thy juggling has contributed in any 
way to bring about a state of things which 
may appear to the spectators as an amend- 
ment in the condition of this Barbarian’s 
daughter ? Fool ! Twenty times have I 
witnessed the course of these attacks, and 
every time have they terminated similar- 
ly — in exhaustion and sleep. But I am 
glad that thou hast assumed the part of 
her physician, for I can now resign that 
affair to thee, and I do it cheerfully, pro- 
vided — that, in doing so, I do not endanger 
my life by being abandoned to the tender 
mercies of my friend, the high-priest.” 

These words contributed by no means to 
lessen the prejudice which Isaiah had al- 


40 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


ready conceived against his fellow captive, 
on account of his deceitful character ; on 
the contrary, they served only as an addi- 
tional barrier to any thing like friendship 
or confidence between them. He made no 
reply to Perinthes, hut stood with his eyes 
fixed upon Erna, until her slumber became 
a profound sleep. As soon as the king, saw 
the happy change that had come over his 
daughter, he made a sign to Isaiah to fol- 
low him. Balthasar then led him into an 
adjoining apartment, which was filled with 
a great variety of implements of war and 
other articles, such as rich apparel, splendid 
ornamental pieces of house furniture, and 
costly toys of various descriptions. They 
were in the store-house of the king, where 
he kept the spoils of war captured by him- 
self and his ancestors. He invited the Jew, 
by gestures, to select from among the arti- 
cles before him such things as might suit 
his fancy. 

Gratitude, one of the noblest virtues, was 
a prominent trait in the character of our 
Teutonic ancestors ; they were taught to 
cultivate it from their earliest childhood ; for 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


41 


they said, like the sun it gives light and 
warmth to all upon whom it falls, and that 
its effects are alike happy to its possessor 
and to him upon whom it is exercised. 
Isaiah was touched with this testimony of 
the king’s generous gratitude. But in the 
sadness of his heart, he murmured : “ Ah ! 
what are even the treasures of Ophir com- 
pared with liberty ! How grateful would I 
be to thee, 0 king, if thou wouldst ^permit 
me to return to my wife and children ! I, 
too, have a daughter at home of the same 
age with thy Erna, and she sighs for her 
absent father and looks in vain for his re- 
turn.” He was aroused from his reverie by 
another gesture of the king, which seemed 
to urge him on to select something from 
among the articles which he saw there. 

His eyes wandered carelessly over the 
things that lay scattered before him, until 
they rested upon a harp that stood in a 
corner. He examined it, and said, with 
subdued sadness: “ Come, thou friend and 
consoler of the sad heart, come, and be 
my companion ! Thou wilt rejoice with me 

when my heart overflows with gladness, and 
4 * 


42 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

thy plaintive notes will sympathize with me 
in my sorrows. With thee, I will endea- 
vour to forget the troubles of earth ; and 
when I sing the songs of Zion, and touch 
thy strings, I shall feel nearer to Jehovah 
and nearer to heaven.” 

He then took the instrument from the 
corner where it stood, and motioned his 
thanks to the king. 

On the way to his hut, Isaiah said to 
himself: “This Barbarian king cannot be 
a had man, for he loves his child, and he is 
grateful and generous. These are not the 
traits of a bad man. But it would be much 
better in many respects if I were able to 
speak with him in his own language. I 
have no confidence in the Greek, and I do 
not believe that he always faithfully in- 
terprets what I say. I will, therefore, im- 
mediately set about learning the German 
language.” 

He lost no time in executing his resolu- 
tion, and his progress was so rapid that it 
astonished his Greek companion and his Ger- 
man masters. He observed, also, the man- 
ners and customs of the people, which, 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


43 


though simple and primitive, had never- 
theless many glaring defects. The women 
attended to all the laborious duties of the 
household; they took care of the cattle, 
they spun and wove the flax and hemp, 
made all their garments, and sewed the 
skins used for domestic purposes ; they 
prepared the mead and the beverage made 
of barley, and had in addition to all these 
labors the care of the children and the 
superintendence of their early training. 
The men were much less industrious ; they 
considered labor as beneath their dignity. 
When not engaged in war, or in the chase, 
they spent their time at home in perfect 
idleness, drinking the intoxicating barley- 
liquor, or wasting their days in gambling, to 
which they were very much addicted. 

Balthasar, much elated with the first 
proof of Isaiah’s skill, committed the cure 
of his sick child altogether to him. 

It is true, Isaiah was a man of great ex- 
perience and much knowledge of the world, 
but he was far from being a physician. He 
knew nothing of the nature of Erna’s dis- 
ease, neither had he any definite idea of 


44 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


the means that ought to be used to restore 
her to health. 

His object in commanding the Greek and 
the high-priest to leave her alone, when 
they held her arms in their strong grasp, 
was merely to prevent them from using a 
painful and unnatural restraint, which his 
good sense and the effects it had upon the 
patient convinced him was improper and 
injurious. The imposition of hands, to 
which he afterwards resorted, was an old 
and general custom among the Jews, and 
the manipulations upon her arms and body 
were at first accidental, and afterwards 
persevered in only because he saw the good 
effect they produced. He continued them 
on every subsequent visit until the convul- 
sions ceased. His next step was to regu- 
late the diet of his patient. In this he was 
a very judicious adviser, his early train- 
ing qualified him very well for that duty. 
He had been raised and educated in Judea, 
where the priests, who were also the physi- 
cians of the people, had, with a wise fore- 
sight, increased the religious fast days pre- 
scribed by the law, w T ell knowing that nume- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


45 


rous diseases are merely the result of in- 
temperance in eating and drinking, and 
that fasting proved in almost all such cases 
a sufficient remedy. 

He, therefore, prohibited all coarse food, 
and ordered simple, light, and digestible 
nourishment to be given ; beer and all other 
fermented liquors he forbade altogether, and 
allowed no other drink than cold water or 
sweet milk to be given to his patient. His 
next step was to throw aside all the infu- 
sions and pills which Perinthes and the 
high-priest had prepared, and to prevail 
upon the king to make the child exchange, 
during the greater part of the day, the 
enervating couch of skins for a seat beneath 
the shady trees of the forest. He encouraged 
her to take frequent and even fatiguing ex- 
ercise in the open air. He took these mea- 
sures, upon the supposition, which proved to 
be a correct one, that the main cause of the 
disease was a vitiated state of the blood. 

To the great delight of her devoted fa- 
ther, Erna’s health began evidently to im- 
prove under this judicious treatment, a cir- 
cumstance which filled her new physician 


46 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


with grateful feelings toward the God of 
his fathers, to whom he prayed daily to drive 
the evil spirit out of his patient ; for he 
had still some lingering fears that the child 
might be possessed by a devil, against whose 
power all natural means must fail. The 
Greek and the high-priest, in the mean time, 
watched his success with envy and hatred 
in their hearts ; for they observed with un- 
easiness how the favorable impression which 
Isaiah made upon the German king and his 
people increased from day to day. 

While the honest Jew continued thus 
the treatment of his patient, according to 
the best of his abilities, praying constantly 
to God for a blessing upon his labors, he 
discovered, unexpectedly, that he was in 
the possession of a remedy which he might 
use as a valuable auxiliary to his other 
efforts. That remedy was his harp. 

Isaiah was a zealous Israelite, and as 
such was perfectly acquainted with the 
most beautiful psalms of the royal min- 
strel. He sang them with all the religious 
enthusiasm of the Jew, and with a fine 
voice, to which the harp served as a beau- 













i' • 




# 






1 















-- *'* * 


















































* 








♦ 












THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


49 


tiful accompaniment. Soon after lie ob- 
tained possession of the instrument ; he 
retired every day for a short time to some 
secluded spot, to soothe his mournful spirit 
with the songs of Zion. 

But not long was he left to the undis- 
turbed enjoyment of his retreat. The song- 
loving German warriors of the forest soon 
began to gather around him on such occa- 
sions, and formed, together with the golden- 
haired maidens and matrons of their tribe, 
an attentive circle of listeners. It was, 
indeed, a beautiful spectacle which such a 
scene presented. Upon the moss beneath 
their lofty oaks sat these untutored hea- 
then men with their wives and daughters. 
Their eyes were fastened upon the lips of 
the minstrel from Palestine, who stood in 
their midst with his lofty figure, raven locks 
and beard, and long flowing garment, with 
the harp leaning upon his arm, like a mes- 
senger from another world, breathing forth 
the sweet notes of his music, until the very 
souls of his auditors appeared to drink in 
the sounds which he poured forth. Ever 
and anon, when he would stop to rest him- 


50 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


self, they besought him by looks, gestures, 
and words, to continue his songs. Some- 
times, after his knowledge of the German 
language had increased, he would translate 
the words of the Psalms into their verna- 
cular, and then their enthusiasm appeared 
to know no bounds ; their eyes would kin- 
dle, and their countenance beam with the 
greatest delight. 

Erna, also, like Saul of old, experienced 
the soothing influence of that sacred mu- 
sic. During its continuance, she felt as 
if her disease had almost left her. When- 
ever afterwards she had an attack, the king 
would send for the Israelite to come and 
drive the evil spirit from the child by his 
harp and hymns. And Balthasar remained 
on all such occasions by the side of his 
child, an attentive listener to the holy 
strains with which Isaiah soothed his suf- 
fering patient. Thus it might be said of 
them that the words of truth came to them 
in heavenly songs. 

Between three and four months had gone 
by in this way, and during that whole 
period Isaiah had not w r alked even beyond 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 51 

the limits of the German camp. Erna’s 
health improved rapidly, and her physician 
began to look anxiously forward to the time 
when, according to the promise of the king, 
he was to obtain his liberty as a recom- 
pense for the cure wrought upon the young 
princess. 

Perinthes became every day more and 
more hostile and morose toward his fellow- 
captive. 

One evening, when they were sitting before 
their hut, he addressed Isaiah in a bitter 
tone, saying: “Man of Israel! thou hast 
taught me a hard lesson, and I repent me 
sorely that I have saved thee from the knives 
of these Barbarian dogs. I thought that 
thereby I would gain a friend in thee, one 
w r ho would aid me in an attempt to escape 
from these savages; but, alas! it appears 
that I have warmed a serpent in my bosom. 
Three months have I now watched thy 
treacherous conduct ; all that time hast 
thou acted the part of a sycophant and 
parasite to this king of savages, and only 
in order to supersede me in his favor. 
This, then, is thy gratitude for the service 


52 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

which I rendered thee! for thy life pre- 
served ! 

“ The summer season, the only favorable 
one for an escape, has, thanks to thy treach- 
ery, passed, without any preparations for 
our flight having been made. Thy life was 
in my power ; I saved it. What hinders 
me now from taking it, since thou hast be- 
come my enemy ?” 

“I am not thy enemy,” replied Isaiah, 
u but thy true friend. I tell thee the day 
will soon come when both of us will be 
free, and able to leave this camp without 
fear of being pursued and killed.” 

“ Fool ! poor credulous fool !” exclaimed 
Perinthes, disdainfully. “ How little dost 
thou know these Barbarians ! As soon as 
they need thy aid no longer, thou wilt be 
sacrificed as a thank-offering to their bloody 
god Tuisko for the recovery of thy savage 
patient. This the high-priest Mamuh told 
me in confidence.” 

Isaiah replied, gently : “ Perinthes, thou 
art excited, and blinded by that excitement. 
How canst thou put any faith in what that 
wicked high-priest says, when we have the 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


58 


solemn promise of the king that we are to 
have our liberty as soon as Erna is com- 
pletely recovered? Reflect, whether it is 
probable that the king, who took me from 
the hand of the executioner when he only 
dreaded my imprecations, will now be will- 
ing to brave my vengeance, after he has 
seen the power of my God manifested in 
the recovery of his child. Nay, thy wonted 
clear-sightedness must have forsaken thee. 
But take my advice and have nothing to 
do with the high-priest, for he will endea- 
vour to ensnare thee in order to get us both 
in his power.” 

Perinthes rejoined: “And why should I 
confide in thee any more than in the high- 
priest, since thou hast shown by thy whole 
conduct that thou hast no confidence in me ? 
All thy endeavors have been to become 
more intimately connected with the Barba- 
rians. Why doest thou persist in with- 
drawing from my cabin at night ? Why 
refusest thou to share my meals ? Why 
is the society of these Germans more 
agreeable to thee than mine ?” 

Isaiah replied calmly : “ The faith of my 


54 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


fathers requires the separation which seems 
to give thee so much umbrage. My inter- 
course with the Barbarians is a deed of 
charity ; for my songs and harp contribute 
to soften their harsh feelings and tempers. 
Moreover, I do not seek their society, they 
seek mine.” 

Perinthes made no reply : but he was evi- 
dently only half-convinced of his compa- 
nion’s sincerity. He could not account to 
himself for his lingering doubts, for they 
were in reality owing to an undefined con- 
sciousness that the Jew was not perfectly 
candid. In this he was not altogether 
wrong, for Isaiah withheld from the Greek 
the main reason for his reserve. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


55 


CHAPTER IV. 

ISAIAH BECOMES A TEACHER. 

Summer was drawing to a close, and the 
wheat and barley fields were filled with la- 
borers of both sexes, securing the crops for 
the coming winter. One evening towards 
sunset, Erna, accompanied by her compa T 
nions and attendants, was returning from a 
distant field belonging to her father. Baltha- 
sar and Isaiah followed them on foot. The 
eye of the king kindled with a father’s pride, 
when he saw his child move along, strong 
and supple, her cheeks colored with a 
healthy hue, and her eyes sparkling with 
the glow of returning health. She and her 
companions carried bundles of the newly cut 
oats and barley. Royal maidens then deemed 
it no degradation to work with their hands : 
a duty which the God of nature has imposed 
upon all the children of men, to make them 
healthy and happy, and which cannot be neg- 
lected with impunity. Hill and dale re- 
5 * 


56 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

sounded with the songs of the returning 
reapers, while the chirping of the little 
crickets sounded like nature’s accompani- 
ment to their merry tunes. The bees, laden 
with honey, flew by them toward their hives 
in the hollow trees ; chattering crows jab- 
bered a welcome from their nests upon the 
lofty trees, and every now and then a gen- 
tle doe or timid hare crossed the path and 
hid itself among the bushes. 

Gradually the shades of night began to 
gather around them. The evening star as- 
cended the horizon, and the gentle moon rose 
over the dark green foliage. A perfect still- 
ness began to reign all around. The winged 
songsters were hushed in sleep, and not even 
a zephyr stirred the leaves into the slightest 
murmur. A solemn and pensive feeling stole 
imperceptibly over every member of the little 
party. 

In silence every one indulged in this feel- 
ing, until the full moon, created by God to 
rule the night, had completely risen above 
the horizon. When the reapers saw its 
round face without obstruction, they knelt 
and bowed their heads to worship it, as if it 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 57 

were a god, thus giving to the creature the 
honor which belongs only to the Creator. 

Balthasar joined w r ith his people in their 
idolatrous worship, and' pronounced the 
prayers prescribed by the priests. 

But Isaiah, the zealous Israelite, who 
looked with horror upon all kinds of idola- 
try, took his harp, his constant companion, 
and sang with a loud voice the following 
passages from the hundred and fourth 
psalm : 

“ Bless the Lord, 0 my soul! 0 Lord 
my God, thou art very great : Thou art 
clothed with honor and majesty : who cover- 
est thyself with light as with a garment: 
who stretchest out the heavens like a cur- 
tain : who layeth the beams of his chambers 
in the waters: who maketh the clouds his 
chariot : who walketh upon the wings of the 
wind. He appointeth the moon for seasons : 
the sun knoweth his going down. 0 Lord, 
how manifold are thy works ! In wisdom 
hast thou made them all : the earth is full 
of thy glory.” 

Having finished this song, he saw Baltha- 
sar standing by his side, who said mildly: 


58 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


“ Stranger, thou thinkest that thy God is 
more powerful than the moon, nay, that my 
god has been made by thine. What reasons 
canst thou advance for such a belief ?” 

Isaiah replied, full of zeal : “ And canst 
thou, 0 king ! ask such a question, when 
the proof of my assertion is even now before 
thee ? Of what avail were all thy conjura- 
tions, all thy prayers and sacrifices to the 
sun, the moon, the earth, and her son 
Tuisko ? Of what avail were the prayers of 
Perinthes to his false gods ? Jehovah alone 
is God : there is no other God beside him. 
Lift up thine eyes, and look around thee ! 
Who created all these things above, below, 
and everywhere? Jehovah is the Lord God; 
it is he who made the heavens and the earth 
and all that is therein. The heavens de- 
clare the glory of God, and the firmament 
showeth his handy work.” 

“But where is thy God?” inquired Bal- 
thasar. “Why does he not show himself, 
like the sun, the moon, and our mother earth, 
so that I may know him?” 

Isaiah replied solemnly: “Jehovah, the 
God of my fathers, is a spirit, and therefore 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 59 

not visible to mortal eyes. His children 
can see him only in the spirit. But all his 
works testify of him. All nature obeys his 
laws. The sun and the moon run in their 
appointed courses, as these have been laid 
out for them by him. The earth brings 
forth grass and herbs, trees and fruit ac- 
cording to his will. And we human beings, 
Who live only by his permission, must obey 
his holy commandments, if we would avoid 
his displeasure and the punishment that fol- 
lows it. For Jehovah is a just and a jeal- 
ous God, who allows not his disobedient chil- 
dren to go unpunished.’ ’ 

Balthasar, who had been listening atten- 
tively, here interrupted him again, saying: 
“ But what are the commandments of thy 
God ? and how comest thou to know them, 
since he is nowhere to be found ?” 

“The Lord God is everywhere,” replied 
Isaiah; “but his perverted children, in 
their blindness, bow to stock and stone, or 
to the creatures of his hand. Thou ask- 
est what are his commandments, and how 
came I to know them? Listen then, 0 
king ! and I will tell thee.” 


60 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

It would require the skill of a painter, 
such as Raphael, to give a perfect idea of 
the group which was now formed around 
the Israelite. I can only give a faint 
sketch of the scene, and must leave the 
completion of it to the imagination of the 
reader. 

The reapers and their fair companions 
deposited their fragrant burdens in a cir- 
cle around the king, his daughter, and their 
Jewish teacher, and then seated themselves 
in picturesque groups upon the green sward. 
Balthasar, with his golden locks, blue eyes, 
and fair complexion, contrasted finely with 
his swarthy companion, as they sat upon 
sheaves of barley in the centre of the 
group. Before them knelt Erna, with her 
youthful and delicate form, her white arms 
resting upon her father’s knee, and her 
eyes fixed upon Isaiah’s animated face. 
The whole scene was illuminated, on one 
side by the purple light of the setting sun, 
and on the other by the pale beams of the 
rising moon. 

After a short pause, Isaiah turned to Bal- 
thasar, and said : “ Tell me, 0 king ! whence 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


61 


came the first plant, the first tree, and the 
first man ?” 

“From the lap of our common mother 
earth,” replied Balthasar. 

“Far from it,” said Isaiah. “The earth 
has no power to create any thing ; all it can 
do is to convey nourishment to the seed de- 
posited in its lap, or support to the plants 
and trees upon its bosom. But even though 
it furnished bodies for the plants and trees, 
and bones, flesh and blood for the human 
frame, could it give them life ? Could it 
breathe into the nostrils of man the breath 
of life, and make of him a living soul? 
And then the first man and woman could 
not have entered the world as delicate chil- 
dren who must be reared by a mother’s love 
and a father’s care. They must have en- 
tered the world with their physical and men- 
tal powers developed, or have perished in 
the very dawn of their existence. 

“ Listen then, and I will tell thee the true 
history of man from his creation to his fall, 
and how I came to know the laws of our 
common Father and Maker. When Jeho- 
vah, the Lord God, had made the heaven 


62 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


and the earth and all that is therein, he saw 
that it was good. He then said : 6 Let us 
make man in our own image ; and the Lord 
God formed man of the dust of the ground, 
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 
life, and man became a living soul.’ The 
earth, itself a creature of God, furnished 
only the material, and Jehovah made man in 
his own image, for he alone was able to make 
him what he necessarily must be, to become 
the progenitor of an intelligent posterity.’ ’ 

“If we are all descended from one com- 
mon parent,” said Erna, with a smile, “ then, 
dear Isaiah, thou must be our kinsman.” 

“So I am, my Erna!” replied Isaiah. 
“ All men and women belong to one family, 
and not only have they one common earthly 
father, but also one common Father who 
is in heaven. It is, therefore, sinful and 
wicked to despise or persecute any one. But 
I must continue my narrative. At first, 
Jehovah visited and conversed with his chil- 
dren, and this he continued to do as long 
as they remained good and obedient. But 
after a while they rebelled against his holy 
law, and he withdrew his cheering pre- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


63 


sence from them. Only at long intervals 
did he vouchsafe to reveal himself to indi- 
viduals, and only then to such as loved and 
served him. One of my forefathers, Abra- 
ham, was such an one. In his early youth, 
he perceived that images of wood and stone 
were unfit objects of worship. He sought 
for the true God, and Jehovah, the Maker 
of heaven and earth manifested himself 
to him in the spirit, and taught him that 
those who would worship him must worship 
him in spirit and in truth. There is a tra- 
dition current among our people, which pro- 
fesses to give an account of an iifteresting 
incident in Abraham’s life. It is said that 
Abraham’s father, Terah, worshipped idols 
made of clay, which he had placed in the 
cavern of a rock, whither he daily repaired 
to prostrate himself before them. 

“ The youthful Abraham looked with pain 
upon this idolatry. One day, when he also 
was required by his father to join in this abo- 
minable practice, he prayed in secret to the 
great Jehovah to deliver him from so great 
an evil. When he had finished his prayer, 

he took a club and demolished all the idols 

6 


64 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


in the cavern, except one, into whose hands 
he placed the instrument with which he had 
destroyed the others. 

“When Terah came to the cavern and 
saw the fragments of his idols, he was very 
wroth, and inquired of all the members of his 
household whether they knew who had com- 
mitted the outrage. Abraham said: ‘Fa- 
ther, it must be the idol that is standing up- 
right, for it has still the club in its hand.’ 
But Terah reproved him, saying: ‘Foolish 
boy ! that is impossible. It has no life, and 
can move none of its limbs.’ ‘ Well, father!’ 
replied Abraham, ‘if it has no life, then 
how can it be a god ? and why should I 
worship it ? Nay, why should any one bow 
before these images when they cannot de- 
fend themselves even against a little boy 
such as I am?’ Then perceived Terah that 
his son surpassed him in wisdom, and he be- 
came ashamed of his idolatry. 

“Jehovah frequently revealed himself to 
Abraham in various ways, and promised 
him that his posterity should become the 
chosen people of the Lord, and that in him all 
the families of the earth should be blessed.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


65 


Here Isaiah was interrupted by the king, 
who said : “ Thy narrative is so interesting 
that it makes us forget that we must return 
home. The damp fogs of the night are 
already ascending, and thou hast told me 
that they are injurious to Erna’s health.” 

“ Thou art right,” replied Isaiah. “We 
have exposed her already too long to their 
injurious influence. It is time we were in 
the camp.” 

Not a word was spoken by any one, as 
they slowly winded their way to the camp. 
Balthasar seemed wrapt in deep meditation, 
and pondered upon what he had heard.” 

When Isaiah repaired to his cabin, which 
he still nominally shared with the Greek, 
he found the latter sitting at the entrance, 
evidently waiting his arrival. 

As soon as Isaiah had taken his seat, 
Perinthes said: “Art thou aware that the 
Barbarians, with Balthasar at their head, 
will set out to-morrow morning on a great 
hunting expedition, from which they do not 
expect to return for several days?” 

“I am: for the king has intrusted to me 
the care of his daughter, during his absence. 


66 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


He told me that tracks of some very large 
wild beasts have been discovered in the vici- 
nity of the camp, and that the hunt is in- 
tended especially for the purpose of killing 
them.” 

“ Well, if thou art aware of it, then listen 
to me ! I have long waited for such an op- 
portunity, and I intend to take advantage 
of that which now presents itself. It will 
be easy for us to effect our escape to-morrow 
morning, under cover of the confusion which 
the preparations for the hunt must necessa- 
rily create. May I depend upon thee as a 
companion on my way to the East ?” 

“Perinthes, be cautioned by me,” replied 
Isaiah, “and abandon so dangerous an un- 
dertaking. The king has promised me, that 
he will give us our liberty as soon as he re- 
turns from this hunt. Then we can enter 
upon our journey openly, and without dread 
of pursuit. Banish thy unjust suspicion ; I 
assure thee, thou canst rely upon the king’s 
promise.” 

“ Poor Isaiah !” said Perinthes, “ Has 
the court atmosphere of even a Barbarian 
king already exercised such an influence as 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 67 

to blind thee to thine own interest ? Have 
the smooth words of Balthazar made thee al- 
ready forget fatherland and family ? Poor 
fool ! as soon as thy services are no more 
needed, they will throw thee aside like a 
useless bait with which the fish has been 
caught. They will now detain thee under 
one pretence or another, until the winter sets 
in, and then it will be impossible for thee, to 
leave this country. We are now near the 
end of autumn ; the premonitory tokens of 
winter are already apparent, a winter which 
I would not pass in this region for any con- 
sideration. However, if thou wilt be guided 
by thy own stubborn will, be it so. But mark 
what I say, keep my secret locked up within 
thy bosom, or else this friend of mine may 
follow it to thy heart.” 

When uttering the last words, he showed 
Isaiah a glittering dagger, and then con- 
cealed it quickly beneath his garment. 

Isaiah replied calmly: “Do thou as it 
seemeth good unto thee; thou needst fear 
nothing from me; neither fear I thy dagger.” 

“I fear no one,” said Perinthes proudly, 

and then withdrew into his cabin. 

6 * 


68 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


CHAPTER Y. 

ISAIAH IN TROUBLE. 

The gray light, which precedes the dawn, 
had just begun to chase away the shadows 
of the night, when the Greek left his couch, 
upon which he had spent a sleepless night, 
and stepped out into the open air. Near 
the door, he saw a dark figure stretched out 
beneath an old oak tree. It was Isaiah 
wrapped in his bearskin and fast asleep. 

“ Despicable slave/’ muttered Perinthes, 
as he passed the sleeper, “thy beggar’s 
pride permits thee not to share the couch 
of a noble Greek. I feel almost inclined to 
acknowledge the compliment with the point 
of my dagger. But no, my friend Mamuh 
must not be deprived of his victim. Sleep 
on then, my trusty Isaiah ! Before another 
sun will have gone down; thou wilt be in 
Hades, contrary to all thy present hopes. 
But hark ! The dogs already bay the morn, 
and the Barbarians hasten to their gathering- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


69 


place. Now is my time, I can easily escape 
by going in an opposite direction. Thanks 
to Mercury, the stupidity of this Barbarian 
king has enabled me to collect and conceal 
all the gold scattered among the trophies in 
his magazine. It shall support me on my 
journey home. Gods of high Olympus ! 
protect me in my flight ! Strike these Bar- 
barians with blindness, and let lameness fall 
upon them. Send them down to Tartarus, 
before this day’s sun will have run its course.” 

With this curse upon his lips, he fled 
stealthily and cautiously through the woods. 

Soon afterwards, the bugle-like sounds of 
the horn echoed through the woods, as a 
signal to the hunters to assemble. The noise 
awoke the Israelite, and brought to his mind 
the duties of the day. He hastened to per- 
form his morning devotions, which he never 
omitted under any circumstances; and then 
repaired to the dwelling of the king. When 
he reached the open space before the royal 
hut, he saw a band of stalwart Germans, al- 
ready collected and accoutred for the chase. 
Each one had a bearskin cloak, a wooden 
helmet upon his head, the small round shield 


70 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


upon the left arm, and in his right hand the 
never-failing spear. Each warrior held a 
steed by the bridle, ready to mount it at a 
moment’s warning. Isaiah thought that they 
looked like sons of Anak. Before the en- 
trance to the king’s dwelling, stood his noble 
charger, pawing the ground, impatient for 
the chase. When Balthasar came out and 
saw Isaiah among the German warriors, he 
went to him, and said with a smile : “ Good- 
bye, my good Isaiah. Take care of thyself 
and of my Erna. Already she waits for 
thee, for she is anxious to hear the beautiful 
stories which thou hast promised to relate to 
her during my absence. The Greek seems 
to have no inclination to accompany our 
hunting expedition, he is too much of a wo- 
man for our hardy sports. I have no doubt 
he is still stretched out upon his bearskin.” 

Isaiah replied : “ Farewell ! may the Lord 
the God of my fathers protect thee, and 
bring thee safely home to thy child.” 

The king then mounted his horse and gave 
the signal to depart. 

Isaiah stood for a few moments with folded 
arms and looked after the hunters, who rode 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


71 


away amidst the sounding of horns and the 
barking of dogs. When he had completely 
lost sight of them, he turned around with a 
sigh, and entered the dwelling to seek Erna. 

A few hours after the king had left, Isaiah 
was seated by the side of Erna, surrounded 
by her attendants and companions, all eagerly 
listening, while he was telling them a beauti- 
ful story from the Bible. It was the story 
of Naaman the leper, and he had chosen it 
on account of the similarity between his con- 
dition and that of Erna. 

He commenced his story, saying: “In 
the country adjoining that in which I was 
born, there lived formerly a great captain 
who had a very loathsome and painful dis- 
ease. The best physicians in Syria tried to 
cure him, but not one of them succeeded 
even in mitigating his sufferings. 

“ One day it happened that a young girl 
of my nation, who had come into his house 
as a prisoner, and was then waiting upon his 
wife, saw his suffering and heard of his dis- 
ease. She pitied him very much, for he was 
a good man and a kind master. She went 
therefore to her mistress and said: ‘ Would 


72 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

God my lord were with the prophet that is 
in Samaria ! for he would recover him of 
his leprosy.’ When the captain heard of 
these words, he inquired further of the girl 
concerning the man of God, and finally went 
to him for help. The holy man told him to 
go and bathe in the river J ordan, one of the 
rivers in my fatherland. 

“ The captain at first thought lightly of 
this counsel, for he said to himself: ‘Are 
not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, 
better than all the waters in Israel V But 
his people prevailed upon him at last to fol- 
low the advice of the prophet. He bathed 
and was cured. Oh, how he rejoiced at his 
newly recovered health ! His heart over- 
flowed with gratitude, and he returned to the 
prophet and offered him great riches. But 
the holy man refused them, for he considered 
the goods of this world as unnecessary to his 
happiness.” 

“And what became of the little girl, dear 
Isaiah ?” inquired Erna. 

“ The captain gave her her liberty, and 
sent her back to her own country, richly 
laden with presents.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


73 


“Dear Isaiah,” continued Erna, “hast 
thou ever seen the river in which the sick 
captain bathed? It must he a beautiful 
stream.” 

“No, I have never been on Jordan’s 
blessed shore, but I have often stood on 
the bank of the miraculous pool in the royal 
city of Jerusalem. This is a pool to which 
an angel of our God comes down from time 
to time, and the first one who bathes in its 
waters after that is cured of whatever dis- 
ease he may have.” 

“ Why have we not such a river, or such a 
pool, in our country?” inquired Erna again. 

“Because the Lord our God is not the 
God of thy people.” 

Just as Isaiah had uttered these words, 
some one laid a hand upon his shoulder, and 
on looking around he beheld the sinister and 
threatening countenance of the high-priest, 
who had glided, unobserved, into the apart- 
ment. 

“Isaiah,” said Mamuh, sternly, “Leave 
this apartment, for I have that to say to the 
princess to which thou must not listen.” 

Isaiah obeyed, and went into a sort of 


74 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

ante-chamber. He bad hardly entered it 
before he was seized by five or six priests, 
who held his arms, while one of them bran- 
dished a sharp stone-knife over his head, and 
said, in an under-tone : “ Be silent and fol- 
low us ; the first cry that thou utterest will 
be thy death-warrant.” 

Isaiah, though taken by surprise, inquired, 
with a .firm voice, what they intended to do 
with him. He bade them beware of the 
king’s wrath, and told them that Balthasar 
would severely avenge any harm which they 
might do to the physician of his child. 

One of the priests told him to be silent, 
and then said : “Thou art a wicked and dan- 
gerous enchanter. Balthasar will hereafter 
be thankful to us for having freed him and 
his child from thy power and influence ; and 
even if it were otherwise, it is better to incur 
the king’s anger than that of the gods.” 

When Isaiah saw that his struggles against 
these men would be useless, he yielded quiet- 
ly, and went with them. But hardly had he 
and his captors crossed the threshold of the 
royal dwelling, when their ears were assailed 
by the most heart-rending cries of a great 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


75 


number of women and children, who were 
flying in every direction. As soon as the 
priests saw the cause of the general panic, 
they fled in their turn, and left their pri- 
soner behind them. Isaiah stood for a mo- 
ment in amazement at the strange scene be- 
fore him, wondering what could be the cause 
of it. But he was quickly roused to a sense 
of his danger by a blow on his back, which 
felled him to the ground. Then came the pres- 
sure of a heavy foot upon his shoulder, and 
almost at the same instant he heard a loud 
crash and a noise like the falling of timber. — 
Part of Balthasar’s dwelling was levelled to 
the ground. — But the thought of Erna, and 
the danger she was in, made him forget 
every thing else. He sprang to his feet, and 
saw before him a black, four-footed monster, 
butting with its short iron-like horns against 
the wooden structure, the splinters of which 
flew in every direction. The attendants of 
the princess, and the other inmates of the 
building rushed out of it, pale with fear and 
terror ; — but Erna was not among them. 

“The wild bull of the woods ! the wild bull 

of the woods!” cried a hundred voices, with 
7 


76 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

heart-rending accents, while the frightened 
women sought safety behind the nearest 
trees. Then came another and a louder 
crash, and a loud unearthly laughter rose, 
fearful and distinct, even above the screams 
of the by-standers and the noise of the fall- 
ing timbers. So terrific was that laughter, 
that the very cries of despair were hushed 
into a death-like silence. The remaining 
part of the dwelling had given away, and 
amidst its ruins Erna was seen erect, and 
turning with lightning swiftness from one 
side to the other, unconscious of her danger, 
uttering peals of laughter in quick succession. 

In the mean time the wild bull had prepared 
fcr another onset, now evidently directed 
against Erna. But Isaiah was already by 
its side. He seized one of his horns with 
his left hand, and clung to it with the whole 
weight of his body, while his right hand 
dealt furious blows upon the protruding eyes 
of the enraged animal. The beast, almost 
maddened with pain, raved and bellowed. 
Once and again it made an effort to dislodge 
its unexpected assailant, but in vain ; nerved 
by the danger of his lovely charge, Isaiah 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 77 

held on with a grip of iron, and continued 
his blows without one moment’s intermission. 
But at last the infuriated animal made a 
. third and desperate effort, and succeeded in 
flinging his adversary like a ball into the 
air. It may be readily conjectured what the 
fate of Isaiah would have been had he been 
left further to contend with the savage 
beast ; but Providence ordained it otherwise, 
for just at that moment there was heard a 
loud barking of dogs, and a band of hun- 
ters appeared upon the ground, as if by ma- 
gic. The earth vibrated with the fall of a 
heavy body, and when Isaiah opened his 
eyes he saw Balthasar upon his horse, co- 
vered with blood and drawing his long spear 
out of the neck of the dying bull. 

As soon as the king had killed the ani- 
mal, he turned and looked for his daughter. 
She was brought to him by her attendants, 
who, emboldened by Isaiah’s self-sacrificing 
example, had carried her from amidst the 
ruins while her champion was battling with 
the bull. 

When Balthasar saw his child, he felt a 
bitter pang of grief mingling with his joy 


78 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


for her preservation, for she was in a deplo- 
rable condition — her disease had returned 
with increased violence. 

His strength almost forsook him, and he 
seated himself upon the trunk of a fallen 
oak. While he thus sat, pensive and sad, 
his eyes fastened upon Erna, who stood be- 
fore him with quivering limbs, weeping and 
singing alternately, he was aroused from his 
reverie by Mamuh. That wicked high-priest 
had approached his king with a proud step, 
and said now, sternly, to him : “ The aveng- 
ing hand of the god is upon thee, Balthasar. 
Tuisko is angry because thou hast yielded 
thy heart and that of thy child to the influx 
ence of a wicked magician, who produced, 
by his juggleries, an apparent melioration in 
Erna’s health, an improvement which has 
been but temporary, as thou now seest. This 
very day I surprised the cunning Jew in the 
attempt to turn the heart of thy child to the 
gods of his nation. But Tuisko, whose 
wrath was kindled, sent the wild bull of the 
woods to destroy the artful enchanter. For 
a short time did he, aided by his conjurations, 
withstand the attacks of the animal, who 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


79 


was just on the point of destroying him 
when thy arm interfered and thy spear saved 
an enemy of the gods. Much guilt hast 
thou to answer for, 0 king ! for twice hast 
thou snatched the victim from the god. De- 
lay, therefore, no longer, but give to the 
great Tuisko the sacrifice which he claims. 
To-day, even to-day, let his blood be poured 
out as an atonement, that the gods may be re- 
conciled and thy daughter recover her health.” 

While the high-priest was thus endeavour- 
ing to persuade the king to sacrifice Isaiah, 
the brave Israelite was lying upon the wet 
grass, writhing with pain and disabled by his 
fall. But strong in faith, he poured out his 
soul in prayer, and cried : “ 0 Lord, rebuke 
me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in 
thy hot displeasure. My God, how very near 
did I think the end of all my troubles ! But 
thine anger was kindled, and thou hast 
turned thy face from me ; for, alas, while in 
this camp I have not always obeyed the laws 
given by the hand of thy servant Moses. 
Pardon my sins, 0 my God, and smile again 
upon me, that these heathen may see thy 
glory. Thou hast shown them that health 
7 * 


80 the three royal magi. 

and sickness cometh from thee, and that 
thou sendest either one or the other ac- 
cording to thy own good pleasure. But 
alas ! they still worship their false gods, 
even with human sacrifices. But thou hast 
promised in thy holy word that the children 
shall no more be punished for the sins of 
their fathers. Hear me, then, in behalf of this 
Barbarian king’s child ! Bid the evil spirit 
depart from her, and let her recover, so that 
thy name may be glorified even among the 
heathen who sit in darkness and in the shadow 
of death. Lord ! turn not thy face from 
me ! Let thy goodness and truth abide with 
me ! Who is like unto thee ? Great art 
thou, and greatly to be praised. The earth 
is thine, 0 King of kings, and all that is 
therein must obey thee !” 

When Isaiah had finished his prayer, an- 
other person appeared upon the ground, 
whose presence under the circumstances at- 
tracted general attention. It was Perinthes, 
who had been captured on his flight from 
the camp, and who was now brought back 
in bonds ; his clothes and his body were torn 
by thorns, and his person was covered w r ith 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


81 


his own blood. He was fully aware of the 
fate that awaited him in the camp, but when 
he heard of what had just taken place, his 
revengeful feelings overcame even the fear of 
death, and he gave vent to them by exclaiming 
aloud : “ Thanks, ye gods of Hellas ! quickly 
have ye avenged your worshipper upon this 
Barbarian king and upon the proud Hebrew 
slave. But why did ye not send the whole 
tribe to Tartarus ? And thou, fair and chaste 
Diana ! why didst thou not protect thy wor- 
shipper ? why didst thou not strike these in- 
fidels with blindness ? Willingly would Pe- 
rinthes have offered at thy altars a whole 
hecatomb, if thou hadst permitted him to 
reach thy temple in safety.” 

When an unregenerated man is compelled 
to yield his own wishes to the will of a higher 
power, he is always inclined to vent his dis- 
content upon those that are dependent upon 
him. This was the case with Balthasar. 
Stung by Mamuh’s words, and pained by the 
sufferings of his child, he called for Isaiah, 
who could hardly move, and commanded him 
to restore Erna to her previous condition, ad- 
ding, that if he did not accomplish this with- 


82 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


in three days, he should forfeit his life for 
his disobedience. 

But the Israelite, whose faith was built 
upon the Rock of Ages, replied, undaunt- 
edly : “ What ! am I then a god that I 
should give life and health according to my 
own good pleasure ? Know, proud king ! 
that it was only through the mercy of the 
great Jehovah that thy child was gradually 
recovering. He, and he alone, dispenseth 
life and death; and wilt thou presume to 
prescribe to the Lord days and times in 
which he is to heal thy child? Who art 
thou that thou darest tempt Jehovah? Not 
by such a course wilt thou obtain mercy ; it 
is more likely to draw down upon thee the 
destroying wrath of the Most High.” 

“ How is this !” cried Balthasar, while his 
eyes sparkled with rage. “Worm of the 
dust ! darest thou hesitate at my command ? 
With thy life in my hand, darest thou rebel ?” 

“My life is not in thy hand,” replied 
Isaiah, calmly; “it is in the hand of my 
God. When he wills it I live, though a 
thousand knives were raised up to slay me.” 

Balthasar, who seemed to have lost all 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 83 

control over himself, cried out : “ Then take 
him, ye priests of Tuisko, he is yours !” 

The priests who stood around him seized 
their intended victim with fiendish exulta- 
tion, and led him away to the sacrificial 
cave, where he found Perinthes already with 
fetters on his hands and feet. When the 
latter saw his companion in captivity brought 
in, and became aware that he was to share 
his own fate, he said, with a bitter and mali- 
cious smile: “Well, was I not a true pro- 
phet ? Now thou wilt receive the reward of 
thy stubbornness and credulity.” 

“And thou that of thy faithlessness,” an- 
swered Isaiah. “ I have at least the conso- 
lation that I have not done any thing wrong. 
But what hast thou to console thee ?” 

Perinthes pretended not to hear the ques- 
tion, and continued: “Now, there will be 
no Perinthes to interfere between thee and 
the bloody priests. Hark ! already they 
whet the knives for our doomed throats; 
that was formerly my work.” 

Isaiah had ceased to pay attention to what 
the Greek said. His thoughts dwelt upon 
the word of God, and particularly upon that 


84 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

portion of it which gives an account of the 
three men in the fiery furnace. Encouraged 
by their example, he knelt and prayed to 
God to deliver him from the power of the 
priests. After this he felt composed. 

At last, fatigued by the events and labours 
of the day, he closed his eyes, and the sleep 
that accompanies a good conscience refreshed 
his weary mind and body. 

About the middle of the night, he was 
awakened by some one who laid his hand 
upon his shoulder, shaking him gently. He 
looked up, and, by the light of a torch in the 
hand of a boy, he saw Balthasar standing 
before him, with folded arms. 

The king’s countenance was sad; not a 
trace of anger or passion rested upon his no- 
ble features. A deeply felt grief seemed to 
bow his proud spirit to the very dust. In a 
gentle voice he said to Isaiah: “Arise, I 
wish to speak with thee. The cords that 
bound thy hands and feet are already sever- 
ed.” Isaiah arose, and stood before the king. 
Balthasar continued : “ Pardon me, Isaiah, I 
have been very ungrateful to thee; but I 
come now to acknowledge my fault. Erna’s 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


85 


attendants have told me of the dastardly con- 
duct of the priests, and how thou, at the risk 
of thy own life, didst save that of my child. 
Come then, and be again her physician; I 
will stipulate no time in which she is to be 
cured ; I will wait patiently and humbly 
until thou seest fit to accomplish it. Oh, 
have pity upon my poor, poor Erna !” 

Isaiah, who was almost moved to tears, by 
this appeal, replied: “I will accompany 
thee and willingly do my part. But remem- 
ber that my efforts, when not accompanied 
with a Divine blessing, cannot insure success ; 
and Jehovah seems to have turned his face 
aside in anger ; and his displeasure is not 
like that of man.” 

“Does thy God demand a sacrifice?” in- 
quired Balthasar ; and then continued: “ Let 
him but name it, and I will bring it, what- 
ever it may be.” 

Isaiah replied: “My God abhors your 
bloody sacrifices. His holy word tells us: 
‘To obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
hearken than the fat of rams. ’ And it forbids 
us to take the life of man, for it says: 

‘ Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall 


86 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


his blood be shed : for in the image of God 
made he man.” 

Balthasar was silent, and seemed to be 
musing; after a short pause he said: “The 
girls of Erna’s household have also mentioned 
to me, that in one of thy stories, thou hast 
told them of a great captain, who had been 
sick and was cured by bathing in a river in 
thy native land, and that there is a pool in 
the royal city, that will cure at certain times 
the diseases of any one that bathes in it.” 

“They told thee the truth:” replied 
Isaiah. “ The God of my fathers has often 
wrought great miracles for his children.” 

Balthasar continued: “Erna raves con- 
stantly, in her incoherent singing, about this 
river and this pool, she seetns anxious to 
bathe in either the one or the other.” 

When Isaiah heard this, he exclaimed : 
“ 0 ye holy waters of Bethesda and Jordan, 
would that my eyes could again be blessed with 
the sight of your sacred streams ! Would 
that my wearied limbs might once more repose 
upon your happy shores ! Oh ! that’ ’ 

Balthasar interrupted him, saying: 
“Wouldst thou be willing to become our 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


87 


guide, if I were to go with Erna on a journey 
to these healing waters ?” 

Instead of replying to this question, Isaiah 
asked : “ Doest thou seriously think of such 
a journey? Remember, my country is a 
great way off. It would require six or eight 
months to go there and return to this place ; 
thy people might become impatient in the 
meantime, and elect another for their king.” 

“Be it even so, if it should seem good to 
them replied Balthasar. “ What will not 
a father do for his child ! Come, let us go, 
and make preparations for our departure.” 

Perinthes had been a silent but anxious 
listener to the conversation. It filled his 
heart with alternate emotions of envy and 
hope. When he saw that the king and Isaiah 
were about to leave the cavern, without 
taking notice of him, his mind became agi- 
tated by a struggle between pride and the 
love of life. He compressed his lips convul- 
sively, but he could not stifle a deep drawn 
sigh, which seemed to come from the very bot- 
tom of his heart. That sigh saved his life — 
it stayed the departing steps of the Israelite. 
And turning to the king, Isaiah said, in a be- 
8 


88 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


seeching tone : “ One more request I have to 
make, 0 king ! Do not refuse it to me. 
Give this poor Greek life and liberty, under 
the condition that he accompany us on our 
journey. He may he of great use to us, for he 
knows the roads and the languages of the peo- 
ple through whose countries we have to pass.” 

Balthasar replied : u Let him then consider 
himself indebted to thee for his life and 
liberty. Go, and loose his bonds.” 

As soon as Isaiah had cut the cords, Pe- 
rinthes knelt down before the king and 
thanked him for the pardon ; and then mut- 
tered exultingly : “ How vexed Mamuh will 
be, when he finds that his prey has a second 
time escaped from his clutches.” 

When Isaiah arrived with his companions 
upon the ground before Balthasar’s dwelling, 
he was astonished to find no vestiges of the 
ruins he had left there a few hours ago. 

Not a trace of the dreadful combat in which 
he had played so conspicuous a part was to 
be seen. Balthasar’s dwelling stood before 
him, as if it had never been demolished. 

A profound silence reigned throughout all 
its apartments ; for Erna, exhausted by the 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 89 

violence of her disease, was now fast asleep, 
and all were anxious that her sleep should 
not he disturbed. 

As soon as it was daylight, Balthasar 
called all the members of his household to- 
gether, and commanded them to make pre- 
parations for his departure. A canopied 
litter for the invalid, was constructed in such 
a form that it could be carried either by 
men or horses, as the exigencies of the jour- 
ney might require. The Greek’s assistance 
was of great use in this matter, for he was 
skilled in all that contributed to luxurious 
ease and effeminate indulgence. 

Isaiah, in the meantime, busied himself in 
melting the gold which had been found con- 
cealed in the Greek’s pockets ; and after- 
wards, in hammering, chiselling, and carving 
it into a peculiar shape. Then he selected 
a beautiful piece of oakwood, which he trim- 
med and carved to suit his fancy, and orna- 
mented it with gold bands and a gold point 
in the shape of an arrow-head. 

But he concealed from every one the ob- 
ject of his labours and the use he intended to 
make of the two articles. 


90 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

Three days were thus spent in preparing 
every thing that appeared necessary for their 
journey. On the fourth day, the king called 
his people together and told them that he 
was about to leave them for several months, 
and that he had selected a regent, one of 
their own number, whom they were to obey 
during his absence. He then bade them an 
affectionate farewell. This was a sad day 
for the tribe ; every one felt as if he had 
taken leave of a father. All left the ground 
filled with grief, and praying that the gods 
would bless their king and his daughter. 

But Mamuh and his priests were not there ; 
they wished to signify by their absence that 
they were displeased, and disapproved of the 
king’s course. 

The party, which was now ready to start, 
consisted of Balthasar and his daughter, 
three female attendants, Isaiah and Perin- 
thes, a boy belonging to Erna’s train, and 
sixteen chosen mounted warriors. 

On a cool, bracing morning, in the begin- 
ning of September, they commenced their 
journey, by traversing the forest in a south- 
easterly direction. 



BALTHASAR DEPARTING FOR THE EAST 












THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


93 


CHAPTER YI. 

THE JOURNEY. 

Nothing worthy of note occurred for two 
months after Balthasar and his company had 
left the German camp. 

The greater part of that time was spent 
in traversing the large forests of Europe. 
There they found ample support for them- 
selves and tlmir horses ; for acorns, game, and 
grass were found everywhere in abundance. 
The few wandering tribes which they en- 
countered were a peaceable, pastoral people, 
who received and entertained them always 
with great hospitality and kindness. As 
they advanced farther south, they found the 
climate milder and the forests more frequent- 
ly intersected by strips of cultivated land. 

One day, about the latter part of October, 
after they had been travelling for several 
days through a dense forest, they emerged 
into the open country. Before them lay a 
beautiful village, to which a number of hus- 
8 * 


94 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


bandmen were returning with implements of 
agriculture upon their shoulders. As soon 
as they saw Balthasar’s party, they stopped 
and gazed with mingled fear and curiosity 
upon the strangers. The tall German war- 
riors, upon their strong shaggy horses, made 
a very imposing appearance. Each horse- 
man had a long lance in his right hand, a 
broad leathern belt around his waist, and by 
his side a heavy stone battle-axe. Long yel- 
low hair covered the head and fell upon the 
shoulders, where it mingled with the shaggy 
hair of a bearskin worn as a cloak. The 
peaceful husbandmen were first inclined to 
fly when they saw this formidable band, but 
discovering that there were women and chil- 
dren with it, they took courage and walked 
quietly to their homes. 

When the Germans caught sight of the 
pretty village, with its cultivated fields and 
its neat though somewhat dilapidated tem- 
ple, they all stopped to admire the charming 
scene before them. Every thing they saw 
was new to them ; the houses built of stone, 
the temple with its pillars, the trees laden 
with red apples and yellow pears, almost 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


95 


every bush, plant, and tree, from the varie- 
gated flowers in the meadow to the full 
ears of grain upon the yellow stalks. The 
sides of the hill were covered with grape- 
vines, upon which hung, in thick clusters, 
bunches of white and blue grapes. In the 
valley, at the foot of the hill, they saw a 
broad stream covered with a number of small 
fishing-boats, propelled by vigorous rowers, 
who enlivened their labors with songs and 
music. 

“ This is a lovely spot,” exclaimed Isaiah ; 
“let us rest here a while and enjoy it.” 

All agreed to this proposition. They dis- 
mounted, and every one, except Balthasar, 
became lost in admiration of the beauties of 
nature and art that lay spread out before 
them. But Balthasar busied himself only 
with his child. With tender care he lifted 
her from the litter and placed her upon a 
couch of soft skins, and then seated himself 
by her side and took her hand in his. After 
he had watched her countenance for a short 
time, he turned to Isaiah, and said, in a sad 
tone : “ I fear much that my poor child will 
not live to see the banks of the Jordan. See 


96 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

how pale, silent, and weak she is. Every 
day as it passes seems to carry with it a por- 
tion of her strength. And how patiently 
she bears it all ! not a murmur passes her 
lips. It is a fearful thing to witness this 
slow wasting of her strength/’ 

Isaiah replied, solemnly : “ Thou must not 
tempt the Lord. I tell thee thy child will 
live and recover her health. It is true, she 
is now fatigued and worn down by the long 
journey through gloomy and unhealthful 
forests, and her body has been debilitated 
by an inappropriate diet. But thou wilt 
soon see her improve in health, for we 
are about to enter cultivated lands, where 
she will breathe the air of a more genial 
climate.” 

The king was just about to say: “May 
the gods will it so !” but he recollected in 
time that Isaiah became always displeased 
when any one said these words, and he sup- 
pressed the exclamation before it came to 
his lips. 

Isaiah then went to a neighboring house, 
from which he returned with a basket filled 
with apples, pears, grapes, and plums. He 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 97 

had purchased these fruits for a trifle, and now 
offered them to the king and to his people. 

Balthasar selected a few of the sweetest 
grapes for Erna, and was much rejoiced 
when he saw her partake of them with plea- 
sure. 

“Do they not taste good, better than 
your German acorns ?” asked Isaiah, with a 
smile, when he saw how eagerly the Germans 
partook of the luscious fruits. 

Every one of the company seemed to en- 
joy themselves, except Perinthes. When 
the Germans gazed upon the village and the 
temple with unfeigned admiration, he mut- 
tered, with a sneer : “ How they admire this 
old rookery ! Barbarians ! My beautiful 
Ephesus, when will my eyes be permitted to 
see thee and the temple of the great Diana !” 

He then went to some laborers, who were 
yet busy in the neighboring field, and in- 
quired of them the name of their village and 
its distance from Ephesus. 

Having ascertained what he wished to 
know, he returned to the company with a 
gloomy face, and drawing Isaiah aside, he 
said to him, angrily : “ Have I hot told thee 


98 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


all along that our course is too much east- 
ward ? Well ! now we have already left the 
Pontus Euxinus to the right, and will he 
compelled to pursue our journey by the land 
route.” 

“And doest thou think,” inquired Isaiah, 
“ that Erna would have survived a sea voy- 
age? The undulating motion of .the vessel 
would have increased her disease past reco- 
very.” 

“Well, what of that?” replied Perinthes. 
“ Of what consequence is it whether there 
is one girl more or less in the world?” 

And after he had remained silent for a few 
minutes, he continued : “ Look at the Barba- 
rians ! Do they not act like overgrown ba- 
bies? And what are the objects of all their 
extravagant admiration? A miserable vil- 
lage with a temple half in ruins, a few sour 
grapes, and a few stunted apples and pears. 
Could they but see Ephesus with its magni- 
cent houses and splendid gardens, and above 
all, its temple of the great Diana !” 

Isaiah left the discontented idolater, 
and went to the village, from which he 
soon returned with a large stone jug filled 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


99 


with the pure juice of the grape. Handing 
it to the king, he said : “ Your sages pre- 
tended that the fumes of your miserable 
beverage of barley gave them the power of 
foretelling future events. Now taste this, and 
see whether it will not cheer thy heart and 
impart to it brighter visions concerning 
Erna’s future health.” 

Balthasar shook his head, despondingly, 
and handed the vessel to his companions. 
But after a while they prevailed upon him to 
drink a little of its contents. Even Erna 
was permitted to sip a few drops of the ex- 
hilarating beverage. It was not long before 
the effects of the wine upon the Germans 
became manifest. The color of their cheeks 
became heightened, their eyes sparkled, and 
they began to speak very rapidly and in a 
loud voice. Isaiah himself was astonished to 
see that so small a quantity of even the pure 
jjiice of the grape produced such powerful 
effects ; and he regretted that he had offered 
it to them. The few drops which Erna had 
taken had a very different effect, they pro- 
duced a decidedly favorable change in her 
appearance. A delicate red diffused itself 


100 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

over her pale cheeks and lips, and she com- 
menced walking about among her compan- 
ions, with a firm step and an erect form. 

Balthasar seemed to receive new life, 
when he noticed the change in his child’s ap- 
pearance. He watched her steps, as she 
moved from place to place, with a pleasure 
which none but a parent could feel. And 
when she came to the spot where he was sit- 
ting, he sprang up and folded her in his 
arms, with as much joy as if she had been 
lost, and he had just found her again. Erna 
then went with her favorite companion, Her- 
mina, to look at the plants and the trees 
around them ; all of which were new and un- 
known to her. 

Suddenly, Odo, Hermina’s brother, called 
them and said : “ Erna, look at that strange 
animal which is coming down the hill ! What 
long ears it has !” An ass, with two large 
baskets full of corn on its back was slowly 
coming down the road. The woman having 
charge of it stopped to gaze at the strangers, 
who were now lying in picturesque groups 
upon the grass. When the ass perceived that 
its keeper had stopped, if followed her exam- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


101 


pie, but only in order to crop a few fine this- 
tles, that were growing by the way-side. 

While Erna and her companions were 
looking at the animal, and wondering what it 
could be, they were suddenly seized with a 
great panic, and all three fled precipitately. 
At the same time, they saw Balthasar and 
his companions springing to their feet and 
seizing their battle-axes ; while the poor wo- 
man, frightened by their hostile attitude, ran 
away and left the poor ass to take care of it- 
self. Only two persons, of all that were on 
the ground, remained cool and self-possessed. 
One of the two, Perinthes, burst into a loud 
and contemptuous laugh ; and even the other, 
Isaiah, could not wholly suppress an involun- 
tary smile. 

The whole cause of all this commotion and 
sudden consternation was the braying of the 
poor ass, uttered with its peculiar, loud and 
shrill voice. 

But Isaiah’s smile vanished quickly, when 
he saw that this fright had caused a return 
of Erna’s disease. Happily, the attack 
yielded quickly to the judicious means which 
he immediately employed. It appeared also 
9 


102 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

as if the excitement, caused by the novelties 
that constantly presented themselves, con- 
tributed in a great measure to subdue the 
strength of the disease. For hardly had the 
ass, which had hastened after its keeper, been 
lost sight of, before Erna, urged on by curi- 
osity, was seen to advance timidly toward 
some new objects that were just coming in 
sight. They were a long string of animals, 
coming across a plain, which might well ex- 
cite the curiosity of this untutored child of 
the forest. The animals were very large, so 
large that even the strong wild bull must 
have been considered as small, when com- 
pared with one of them; they had small 
heads, long necks, and large humps upon 
their backs. The camels, for such they were, 
approached, each carrying a heavy burden, 
and a man upon its back. 

While Perinthes addressed the leader of 
the caravan, and detained him in conversa- 
tion, the camels knelt down, in order to rest 
a while from their toilsome journey. 

It was some time before Isaiah could pre- 
vail upon Erna and her companions to ap- 
proach the strange-looking animals, but at 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


103 


last he succeeded ; and they even took cour- 
age to lay their hands upon the humps and 
long necks of the gentle creatures. Isaiah 
took this occasion to draw their attention to 
the wisdom and goodness of God, as dis- 
played in the structure of the inferior ani- 
mals. “Jehovah,” he, said, “is great and 
full of wisdom ! He has given to this ani- 
mal, which inhabits the desert and dry sandy 
places, feet with callous soles, without which 
it could not endure the long journeys which 
it has to make ; he has also given it a mouth 
with which it can eat, without harm, the 
prickly plants that are found in the desert ; 
and he has furnished it with a stomach, 
which not only supports thirst for a long 
time, but which also contains a separate 
apartment, and serves as a kind of reser- 
voir, to supply the animal with water for 
several days. The hump upon its back 
shows how well calculated it is to be the 
carrier of the desert. And God has endowed 
this creature with a gentle courage, which, al- 
though it quietly kneels to receive its burden, 
leads it to refuse to rise, when the avarice 
of man has made that burden too heavy. 


104 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

And when the sirocco, that poisonous wind 
of the south, sweeps over the desert, it is 
taught by its instinct, given to it by God, to 
lie down and bury its nose in the sand, until 
the wind has passed over ; for this is the only 
way in which it can escape the deadly poison. 
Great and good is the Lord !”. 

When the camels had rested themselves 
sufficiently, they rose, and the caravan moved 
on, and was soon lost sight of. 

Balthasar now proposed a visit to the tem- 
ple, for the purpose of examining the interior. 
Erna was delighted, and declared herself 
ready to accompany him. Her father consent- 
ed, and the two, accompanied by Perinthes, 
ascended the hill upon which the temple stood. 

As soon as Balthasar had entered the 
dimly lighted hall, he felt a mysterious sen- 
sation of awe come over him, and his foot 
trod less firmly upon the pavement. Erna 
hovered by his side like a spirit; her steps 
were almost inaudible. When their eyes had 
become a little accustomed to the dim light, 
they saw before them an image of Jupiter, 
made of solid stone. They had never before 
seen any thing of the kind. The impression 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 105 

which this work of art made upon them was 
powerful. 

In silence and with awe, they gazed upon 
the stern but noble face of the god ; and it 
seemed to them that he must have life, not- 
withstanding his stony appearance. They 
looked at the heavy drapery, all cut out of 
the same material ; and at his hands, one 
of which was armed with what appeared to 
them to be petrified lightning. At his feet 
crouched an eagle, holding in his claws whole 
bundles of the same petrified lightning. 

Balthasar expected every moment that 
the idol would come down and speak to him. 

Perinthes dispelled this allusion, by saying 
disdainfully: “How clumsily this Jupiter 
has been chiselled ! He looks like a square- 
built water-carrier. The maker of this statue 
must have been a complete bungler.” 

“ How !” said Balthasar, in an under-tone, 
to himself. “ This is a god, and Perinthes 
says that he looks like a water-carrier ? A 
god and made by a bungler ?” And he shook 
his head and seemed perplexed. But when 
he turned toward the entrance of the temple, 
and saw the dark blue sky, and the moon 
, 9 * 


106 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


in all its majesty, just above the horizon, and 
reflected in the waves of the river which 
flowed in the valley beneath them, he said, 
full of enthusiasm: “Look, Erna ! Our god 
yonder is after all more sublime and more 
powerful. He is not confined to one spot, 
like this god of stone, and his house never 
decays. He has accompanied us hither, and 
yet, he has not ceased to gladden with his 
light the friends and relatives which we have 
left at home. His face is always pleasant 
and kind, and no king can compare with 
him, much less a water-carrier.” 

“But,” replied Erna, “Isaiah says, that 
there is One even greater and more powerful 
than the moon, He who has made our moon- 
god.” 

“Isaiah,” said Balthasar, “Ha! where is 
he? Isaiah! Isaiah! Where art thou?” 

“ Here !” replied the Israelite, outside of 
the temple. 

“Why art thou not with us? Wilt thou 
not come in?” inquired the king. 

“Jehovah forbid,” said Isaiah, “that I 
should voluntarily enter the temple of the 
idolater, and thereby become unclean.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 107 

“ Become unclean!” exclaimed Balthasar 
with astonishment, while he looked at him- 
self and at his daughter from head to foot, 
and then continued : “ Thou art mistaken, 
my good Isaiah, there is nothing unclean 
her§.” 

But Isaiah replied : “ I do not speak of 
my body, but of my soul, which would be- 
come unclean, if I were, contrary to our law, 
to enter this heathen temple.” 

“Thy soul?” inquired Balthasar, “I do 
not understand thee.” 

“ Our law prohibits us to eat unclean 
animals, to live with unclean persons, to wor- 
ship false gods, or enter their temples.” 

“ Am I then an unclean person ?” 

“ If thou desirest me to answer truthfully, 
I must say, yes.” 

“And my child too?” continued Baltha- 
sar, while a tear started in his eye. 

Isaiah, who could not see the king’s face, 
replied: “Thy child too. All who do not 
worship the God of Israel, who is one God, 
and beside whom there are no other gods, 
are unclean ; and every true Israelite must 


108 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


shun all familiar intercourse with them. Sin 
is contaminating.” 

“But,” said Balthasar, “thou hast been 
with us, thou hast blessed my child, and 
thou art now endeavoring to cure Erna.” 

“ That is true, but that is a work of love 
and charity,” replied Isaiah. “And then I 
shall have an opportunity, when I reach Je- 
rusalem, to purify myself in our temple.” 

Here the conversation was interrupted by 
Perinthes, who exclaimed, full of wrath: 
“Isaiah is a self-conceited fool, full of his 
superstition and narrow-minded pride. He 
thinks that he is better than thou or I. Why 
dost thou not stop his slanderous tongue? 
He despises us all, and will surely leave thee 
as soon as he can travel without thy protec- 
tion. Submit no longer to his vile insults.” 

But Balthasar replied mildly: “No, Pe- 
rinthes, thou art wrong : his past conduct is 
a voucher for the future. And I willingly 
pardon his harsh language, in consideration 
of what he has done, and still is willing to 
do, for my child.” Then putting his arm 
tenderly around his daughter, he said to 
her : “ How much have we not already borne 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 109 

together! And are we not still willing to 
bear more, if we can only secure health and 
strength for thee, my beloved?” 

Isaiah who perceived now, that he had 
wounded the noble heart of the king, said 
apologetically: “It is the faith of my fa- 
thers that has taught me this, I am not re- 
sponsible for its doctrines.” 

But Balthasar sighed, and said : “ Enough, 
let us drop the subject. It is time that we 
prepare for the night. Erna looks tired and 
sleepy. Where are we likely to find a safe 
and convenient place to encamp.” 

“ There is no more necessity for encamp- 
ing,” replied Isaiah. “Erna, will hereafter 
sleep beneath a roof and between walls, 
where she will be better protected against 
the damp night air. I have already secured 
our quarters for this night.” 

They all then went to the house, in which 
Isaiah had secured for them several rooms. 
The simple-hearted inhabitants of the vil- 
lage received and treated the strangers 
with great hospitality. Every one of the 
party retired that night with the con- 
sciousness that civilization is a great bless- 


110 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


ing to individuals as well as to society in 
general. 

About the middle of the night, Isaiah was 
awakened by something moving under his 
pillow. He immediately thought of the bun- 
dle with the golden instruments and the 
money, which he had placed there, and it 
appeared to him that some one had been 
trying to remove it. However he did not 
stir, but watched in silence, whether the at- 
tempt would be renewed. After a few min- 
utes, he perceived that some one was again 
endeavouring to draw the bundle from under 
the pillow, and on finding it impracticable, 
was evidently about to cut a hole through the 
leather. As soon as Isaiah heard the iron 
strike the metal within the bundle, he seized 
the hand that held it with so firm a grasp 
that the instrument fell with a rattling noise 
to the ground. He then sprang to his feet to 
secure the unknown thief, but the superior 
strength of the Jew was baffled by the agility 
of his antagonist. The intruder glided from 
his grasp like an eel, and escaped as noise- 
lessly from the room. 

“Hm, Hm!” murmured Isaiah: “That 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


Ill 


soft hand was no German hand; and then 
a German does not steal, he robs and kills. 
Could it have been our host or one of his 
people? No, they would not thus violate 
the rites of hospitality. Perinthes — ha ! 
It was he, the cunning and base Greek ! 
He must have been about to decamp, and en- 
deavored to steal this gold for his expenses 
on the journey. Now I know the reason 
why he refused to sleep in the house with the 
Germans, and why he offered to watch the 
horses. But hark ! What noise is that in 
the stable ? Why do the horses neigh and 
stamp so violently? Art thou afraid, Pe- 
rinthes that thou art discovered, and dost 
thou intend to escape without the money? 
But no ! that cannot be the case ; he makes 
a noise in order to awaken us. Holla, Perin- 
thes ! what is the matter ?” With this in- 
quiry, Isaiah put his head out of the aperture 
which served as a window. 

“There was a thief in the stable, who 
wanted to steal the horses,” exclaimed Pe- 
rinthes. “When I attacked him with my 
dagger, he snatched it out of my hand and 
fled.” 


112 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


Isaiah laughed, and replied : “ I am sorry 
for thee. But why didst thou prefer sleep- 
ing in the stable, to staying with us in the 
house ?” And then turning from the win- 
dow, he muttered to himself : “ My cunning 
Perinthes ! Thou canst not deceive me with 
thy tricks, by which thou hopest to regain 
thy weapon. I am glad that I have deprived 
the serpent of its fang.” 

He then searched upon the floor for the 
dirk, and when he had found it, hid it beneath 
his garment. 

Perinthes was willing enough not to men- 
tion the night-attack, when he found, the 
next day, that Isaiah suffered the matter to 
drop without further inquiry. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


113 


CHAPTER VII. 

LIFE IN THE EAST. 

As our travellers advanced upon their 
journey, they saw almost every day, plants 
and animals that were new to them, and 
which were found only in southern countries. 
They had now reached the confines of Persia, 
and prepared to cross its fertile provinces. 

Beneath an unclouded sky, they beheld 
the lofty palm, raising its roof of giant 
leaves. Everywhere they found, instead of 
insipid acorns, luscious tropical fruits with 
which to regale their parched lips. The 
fruit became sweeter and more spicy. The 
colors of the flowers were more brilliant, and 
all nature seemed to wear gayer robes. The 
variegated butterfly, the bright-colored in- 
sects, and the striped serpents, and lizards, 
vied in beauty with the gaudy plumage of 
the birds, and the rich colors that decked 
the skins of the wild beasts. The woods 
around them swarmed with animals of every 
description. On all sides they heard the 


114 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


notes of the feathered songsters, the chatter- 
ing of parrots and monkeys, and the roaring 
of the larger beasts of prey. What a con- 
trast when compared with the silent and 
gloomy forests of Germany ! 

But there was also another side to the pic- 
ture ; for fiercer and more vivid glanced the 
lightning, louder and more terrific roared 
the thunder, and wilder and more fearful 
raged the storm in these regions. Beneath 
the carpet of flowers lurked the hissing, 
poisonous snake, the lazy scorpion, and the 
death-dealing spider. The sun which gave 
such a luxuriant growth to the animal and 
vegetable world, engendered also the awful 
pestilence, the hideous leprosy, and an effe- 
minacy which debased the inhabitants. 

Erna’s health improved from day to day, 
in consequence of a more generous and ap- 
propriate diet, and constant exercise in the 
open air. The change of climate also con- 
tributed considerably to this result. She 
still continued to have attacks of her disease, 
but they were fewer and shorter in duration. 

One day, after they had passed through 
one of the most gorgeous forests of the 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


115 


country, they saw before them a magnificent 
city, of a size and splendor which far sur- 
passed any thing they had hitherto seen. 
It was built upon a gentle ascent, by the side 
of a river, which watered an extensive plain. 
On inquiry, they were told that it was Ispa- 
han, the residence of a powerful eastern mon- 
arch. Isaiah, as well as Perinthes, deemed 
it proper that Balthasar should enter the 
city in a manner becoming his royal dignity, 
and that he should visit his royal brother the 
king of Ispahan, The party stopped there- 
fore beneath the shades of the lofty trees, 
in order to make the necessary preparations 
for a suitable entry. The Germans clean- 
ed and smoothed their coal-black steeds, till 
they shone like polished ebony. They dressed 
themselves in clean white garments, made of 
flax or hemp, and over the whole they threw 
their national cloaks, some of which were 
made of bear-skins, some of deer-skins, and 
some of wolf-skins. In compliance with the 
usage of the country, they had already 
adopted the custom of wearing sandals, which 
they fastened to their feet with pretty co- 
lored straps. 


116 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


But one of their finest ornaments was 
their long yellow hair, which fell in golden 
locks over their necks and shoulders. The 
men, indeed, presented a fine picture of manly 
vigor and beauty; but they were far sur- 
passed by the females in grace and loveli- 
ness. Erna, dressed in a snow-white gar- 
ment, which was held together by a blue 
belt, her head ornamented with flowers, 
looked more like a fairy than a mortal being. 
King Balthasar exchanged his bearskin for 
that of a leopard, which he had killed on 
his journey. 

When every thing was arranged, just as 
the king was about to mount his impatient 
steed, in order to head his little band, Isaiah 
approached, holding in his hand a glittering 
object, which he presented to Balthazar, say- 
ing : “ My lord, bend thy head a little that 
I may place upon it an ornament of which it 
has hitherto been destitute. In this country, 
it is necessary that thou shouldst wear it, if 
thou wouldst be recognised as a king.” 

With these words, he placed a golden 
crown upon the yellow locks of the king, 
and when he saw Balthasar shake his head 



















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CITY OF ISPAHAN 







THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


119 


uneasily under it, he added : “It seems to 
press heavily upon thy head like all earthly 
crowns, but thou art a king and must wear 
it patiently.” 

When Balthasar had mounted and de- 
manded his lance, Isaiah handed him instead 
of it, a beautifully carved scepter, ornamented 
with gold, saying : u Thou wilt find that the 
inhabitants of this country will bow more 
reverently before this staff than even before 
thy German spear.” 

Balthasar took the scepter from Isaiah, 
and then ordered his party to follow him. 

When the Germans had entered the city, 
they were amazed at its magnitude. Every- 
where they beheld lofty buildings, with flat 
roofs and high cupolas. Before them they 
saw a labyrinth of streets leading in every 
direction, and through one of the avenues 
which led down to the water they had a 
distant view of an immense bridge, which 
spanned with its lofty arches the whole 
width of the river. 

A short distance from the square before 
the royal palace, they met a great number 

of the yellow skinned inhabitants collected 
10 * 


120 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


together, and almost stopping their passage. 
Balthasar’s party had some difficulty in pass- 
ing through this throng; for, although the 
nearest persons stood reverently aside and 
gazed with awe upon the tall warriors and 
their fair companions, yet their places were 
soon occupied by the more distant spectators, 
who were anxious to get a glimpse of the 
white strangers with the golden hair. 

Balthasar was about to turn into a by- 
street to gain a freer passage, when the 
sound of numerous drums, cymbals, and 
tambourines was heard, which caused the 
horses to rear and plunge so much that the 
riders had great difficulty in keeping their 
seats. The frightened people pressed back 
on all sides, and gave way to a band of Per- 
sian royal footmen, who struck right and left 
with their bamboo sticks, crying all the time: 
66 Stand aside ! stand aside ! for the royal son 
of the sun !” These varlets showed even some 
inclination to let their sticks fall upon the 
strangers, but a significant motion of the 
German lances caused them quickly to aban- 
don whatever design of the kind they might 
have entertained. Behind these forerunners 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


121 


came a band of musicians playing upon va- 
rious instruments, and marching before what 
appeared to be a moving row of houses or 
towers. On closer examination they proved to 
be wooden structures upon the backs of huge 
four-footed beasts, in comparison with which 
even the tall camel appeared but as a small 
animal. The collossal heads of these crea- 
tures were furnished with extraordinary long 
noses, two large tusks, and ears which looked 
like leathern aprons. Each beast carried 
upon its head what our Germans considered 
a monster in human form — a black man 
armed with an iron hook with which he 
guided the steps of the animal. 

Before the Germans had time to recover 
from their astonishment at the sight of the 
elephants, (for such were the animals which 
appeared to them as monsters,) their atten- 
tion was called to the other part of the pro- 
cession which now came in sight. It con- 
sisted of a band of music followed by two 
hundred eastern warriors fully equipped. 
After these came the officers of the royal 
household, and then a splendid phaeton be- 
fore which two large lions were harnessed. 


122 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


By tlie side of each lion walked a tall Moor 
leading the animals by iron chains. 

Upon the phaeton sat a Moorish king be- 
neath a canopy highly ornamented with pre- 
cious stones, peacock feathers, and gold. 
The crown upon his head glittered with dia- 
monds and rubies. The large white pearls 
in his ears contrasted finely with his coal- 
black skin.^ Upon one of his shoulders sat 
a pretty monkey, and on the other a beautiful 
parrot. He was on his way to the palace of the 
king of Ispahan, whom he intended to visit. 

When the Moorish king came in front of 
the place where Balthasar and his party had 
halted, he looked at them with a curiosity 
equal to that with which the Germans re- 
garded him. His people had already ga- 
thered around the strangers, and manifested 
their astonishment by violent gestures and 
incessant exclamations. The Germans, on the 
contrary, sat like statues, still and motionless 
upon their horses. 

It is true, Balthasar contrasted but poorly 
in wealth and splendor with the Moorish 
king, but his noble bearing combined with 
the presence of his tall warriors inspired the 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


123 


Moors and the Persians with a profound re- 
spect. The ladies and children in particular' 
were objects of general attention. Never be- 
fore had the inhabitants beheld such delicate 
complexions and yellow hair. The Moorish 
king called out to the leaders of the lions to 
stop the animals in order to give him more 
time to look at the white strangers. 

But the lions seemed not to be very sub- 
missive. One, in particular, who had been 
struck by his keeper, opened his blood-red 
jaws, and manifested his rising anger by a 
low growl, which sounded like distant thun- 
der. The noise caused Balthasar’s horse, 
which had thus far shown no signs of uneasi- 
ness, to rear, and that again made the lion 
roar louder and longer. The keeper re- 
doubled his blows with the iron bar he held 
in his hand, but this only increased the rage 
of the savage beast. It began to lash itself 
with its powerful tail and to utter terrific 
roars, so that all the horses became frightened 
and the Germans had to summon up all their 
courage and strength to preserve an outward 
appearance of calmness and composure. As 
to the Africans and Asiatics, they had from 


124 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


the first manifested their fears by anxious 
cries, in which they were joined by their 
elephants, and now they commenced flying 
in every direction. In the mean time, the 
fury of the lion increased. Already he be- 
gan to shake and push the royal phaeton 
with great violence. The cries of the Moor- 
ish king for help caused a number of his peo- 
ple to attack the animal with their weapons, 
but the poor Moors were scattered by the 
royal beast like chaff before the wind. Sud- 
denly Balthasar turned his head, thinking 
that one of the yellow cats, (as he called the 
lions,) had jumped on his horse, but he saw 
that it was only the black king, who had 
thrown his arms around his waist and begged 
him by signs and words to save his life. Be- 
fore Balthasar had time to reply to the 
frightened king, he saw the poor man leav- 
ing his seat as quickly as he had gained it. 
Almost at the same instant something struck 
against his horse so violently, that it came 
very near throwing him out of the saddle. 
It was the lion, who crouching down and 
gathering all his strength had made a power- 
ful spring, and now stood before him upon 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 125 

his hind paws with his teeth fastened in the 
neck of the horse. The frightened animal 
made desperate but fruitless efforts to free 
itself from its ferocious assailant. Baltha- 
sar did not lose his presence of mind even 
under these circumstances. With a cool and 
deliberate aim he struck the point of his 
scepter into the open and glaring eye of the 
lion, which caused the animal to roar with 
pain, and to remain almost immovable for 
a second, while it gnashed its teeth. Before 
it had time to recover for another attack, 
Balthasar seized his heavy battle-axe, which 
hung in his belt> and rising in his seat brought 
it to bear with such force upon the head of the 
lion that its brains were scattered all around. 

As soon as Balthasar had rid himself of 
his terrible assailant, he looked with great 
anxiety for his child. What he feared had 
taken place. Erna’s disease had returned 
with increased violence.. Her arms moved 
■with a convulsive motion, and she laughed 
and wept alternately. Beneath her litter 
they found the Moorish king, shaking in 
every limb, crouching beneath the bear skins. 
Isaiah was already by Erna’s 'side, busy in 


126 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


applying the wonted remedies. He soon 
succeeded in producing an artificial sleep, 
which always arrested her attacks when he 
could bring her under its influence. Order 
was gradually restored among the frightened 
spectators, and the Moorish king returned 
to his phaeton, to which two horses were now' 
harnessed instead of the lions. The pro- 
cession commenced again to move onward, ac- 
companied by the band of music, though the 
members of the latter had not quite reco- 
vered from their fright. 

Balthasar had, in the mean time, at the 
request of the Moorish king, dismounted 
from his bleeding horse and seated himself 
by the side of his royal brother. His peo- 
ple had arranged themselves behind the car- 
riage, and the procession thus escorted ad- 
vanced towards the palace where the king of 
Ispahan stood ready to receive them. 

During the height of the confusion, a lit- 
tle circumstance occurred which served still 
further to develope the character of the 
Greek. Perinthes, who was near when the 
Moorish king fled, followed all his movements 
with an eagle eye, and as soon as he perceived 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


127 


the former drop his crown, he hastened to- 
wards the spot at the risk of his life, picked 
it up from beneath the feet of the rearing 
and plunging horses, and was just about con- 
cealing it under his garment when he caught 
Isaiah’s eye, who happened to be near him. 
The latter went to him, and with a smile 
upon his lips, said : “ Perinthes, the crown 
belongs to thee no more than this scepter 
which I have picked up belongs to me ; let 
us return both to their rightful owners.’’ 
Perinthes would have killed his companion 
if he had been still in possession of his dag- 
ger, but being deprived of his weapon, he only 
gave vent to his feelings in suppressed impre- 
cations upon the head of the Jew, whom he 
reluctantly consented to accompany. Isaiah 
carried the scepter to Balthasar, and Pe- 
rinthes was constrained to restore the crown 
to the Moorish king, to whom he presented 
it with bended knees and obsequious flat- 
teries. “I thank thee, white man,” said* 
the Moorish king ; “ I will think of a reward 
for thee. What is thy name ?” 

“ My name is Perinthes, and I am the inter- 
preter of the white king,” replied the Greek. 

11 


128 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


“Well,” said Melchior, “mine eye will 
know how to find thee, and then will the 
sun of my favour shine upon thee.” 

While the Asiatic king Caspa received the 
Moorish king Melchior at the entrance of his 
palace, Balthasar turned to Isaiah, and said : 
“ I commit to thee the care of my child and 
her household while we stay in this city, and I 
pray thee forget not to take good care of my 
faithful steed, and see it cured of its wounds.” 

He was interrupted by King Caspa, who ad- 
dressed him very respectfully and with high 
encomiums on account of his bravery, and then 
inquired concerning the situation and condi- 
tion of his distant realm. All the conversa- 
tion between the kings was of course carried 
on by means of interpreters, for neither as 
yet understood the language of the other. 

Balthasar and Melchior with their respec- 
tive trains were lodged in the palace of King 
Caspa, who felt himself highly honored by 
being visited at the same time by two kings, 
one from the south of Africa, the other from 
the north of Europe. This was an event 
which he deemed of sufficient importance to 
be recorded in the annals of his reign. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


129 


CHAPTER VIII. 

THE OBSERVATORY. 

Erna began to think that they had en- 
tered the domains of a great magician. 
Every thing around her looked strange 
though brilliant. The trees, the flowers, the 
fruit were all different from any she had 
ever seen before. The animals were beauti- 
ful, but unknown to her. And the inhabitants 
with their singular houses and dress seemed 
to her to be the denizens of another world. 

She gazed upon the lofty walls of polished 
marble, and could not imagine what they 
were made of; then upon the metallic mir- 
rors, in which she saw her image reflected in 
what was to her an unaccountable manner. 
She examined the soft and brilliant silks 
which were spread in great profusion over 
her couch, and wondered what they were 
made of. 

In one. corner of her room she discovered, 
to her utter astonishment, what appeared to 


130 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

her a little boy all covered with hair ; it was 
a monkey who played his pranks with great 
glee. But the greatest wonder to her and to 
her companions was a little black boy, who had 
been given to her for a page. It appeared to 
them impossible that his black color could 
be natural, and in order to ascertain the 
fact she directed her women to wash him 
thoroughly. 

The little fellow submitted to the opera- 
tion with a good-natured laugh, but all their 
exertions were in vain ; they could not 
change his sooty complexion. 

In the mean time, Caspa and his royal 
guests spent most of their time in hunting 
the noble lion and the ferocious tiger, or in 
witnessing mock combats between the war- 
riors — sports in which the athletic Germans 
surpassed their more agile but less courage- 
ous hosts. 

A week had almost elapsed, when Baltha- 
sar began to be weary of these amusements. 
He became restless and anxious to pursue his 
journey. 

One day he said to Isaiah: ^ We have re- 
mained long enough in this city. I have 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


131 


not left my country and my people to waste 
my days here in idleness. Come, Isaiah ! let 
us go to thy father-land, to the miraculous 
waters which are to give health to my child.” 

Isaiah replied: “I am rejoiced to hear 
thee say so, 0 king ! Nothing prevents us 
from departing even to-morrow, if it so please 
thee. It will require hut a short time to ac- 
complish the rest of our journey. Inform 
thy royal host of thy intention, and let us 
prepare without delay for our departure.” 

When Balthasar told Caspa of his inten- 
tion to leave him so soon, the latter endea- 
vored at first to persuade him to tarry a little 
longer, hut when he found that he could not 
succeed, he said : “ Be it then as thou wilt, my 
royal brother. But let us first consult the 
stars concerning the result of thy journey.” 

“ The stars !” exclaimed Balthasar. “ Do 
the stars in thy country speak ?” 

“Not like man,” said Caspa; “but we 
have a secret science, astrology, which ena- 
bles the initiated to look into the future, and 
to foretel with considerable accuracy what 
will come to pass. 

“ I have for a number of years devoted 
11 * 


132 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


much of my time to this science, and I know 
no greater pleasure than that of consulting 
the stars. Every man has his star — the star 
that ruled the hour of his birth, and whose 
course and relative position directs all the 
events of his life. Tell me, my brother, the 
direction in which thy realm lies : the year, 
day, and hour of thy birth, that I may find 
thy star and consult it.” 

Balthasar was just about to reply, that, 
with the exception of the first, he could an- 
swer none of these questions, when Melchior 
turned to Caspa, and said : “ Of what use is 
it to look into the future, since we cannot 
alter the course of events ? It appears to 
me astrology is far less important than the 
search after the philosopher stone. I have 
spent many years in trying to find it, for it 
is said to confer upon its "possessor what I 
consider the most precious boon — immortal- 
ity. I was in hopes, when I left my kingdom, 
that I should obtain from thee, or one of thy 
sages, some useful hint as to the way in which 
it may be found.” 

“ Nothing is easier than that,” replied 
Caspa ; “ we will consult the stars about it. 





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THE KINGS IN THE OBSERVATORY 






THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


135 


To-night let us go up to my observatory. I will 
invite all my magi to aid us in our inquiries.” 

It was a calm, cloudless night when they 
ascended the observatory. Upon the high- 
est platform of the palace they were met by 
a hand of venerable-looking men, with long 
white beards, and wearing the loose flowing 
garb of the east. 

As soon as they perceived the three kings, 
they fell upon their knees and made their 
salutations according to the custom of the 
country. They then rose, and exclaimed 
with one accord : “ Hail ! hail ! to our mighty 
sovereign and his royal hosts ! The heavens 
themselves seem to rejoice at your meeting, 
for they have just added a new star of won- 
derful magnitude and splendor to the host 
of heavenly bodies which rule the destinies 
of men. May he who is born under its in- 
fluence become the fourth member of your 
alliance, for his star will rule all the other 
stars, and he will become a king of kings 
and the sovereign of many nations.” 

When Caspa heard this, he inquired, eager- 
ly : “ Where ? 0 where is this new star ?” 

The magi pointed to the western part of the 


136 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


sky, where they all saw a very large and bright 
star, sparkling with dazzling refulgence. 
The chief of the magi then said : “ That 
is the star. Blessed is the country and the 
people that are to be ruled by it, for happy 
will they he who will he permitted to live 
under the sway of him whom it announces.” 

Caspa requested them to tell him the name 
and the location of the country over which 
he would reign. But their answers showed 
how little they knew about geography. Some 
named one kingdom and some another, and 
hardly any two agreed concerning the locality. 

Perinthes, who with Isaiah had accompa- 
nied Balthasar to the observatory, insisted 
that it could be no other than Ionia, in Asia 
Minor, where Ephesus was situated. But 
Isaiah said : “ The Lord God, who created 
the heavens and the earth and all that is 
therein, promised to Abraham, one of the 
patriarchs of my people, that in him all the 
nations of the earth should be blessed. God 
created the first man, Adam, after his own 
image, and placed him in a very beautiful 
country where he might have lived an im- 
mortal life in uninterrupted happiness.” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


137 


“ Immortal !” interrupted Melchior. “ Ah ! 
if so, then must Adam have possessed the 
philosopher’s stone.” 

“ He had even more than that,” was 
Isaiah’s reply. “ He had the approbation 
and love of God. But, ungrateful man, be- 
came a rebel to his Maker — the creature 
aimed at wisdom equal to that of the Crea- 
tor.” 

Here Perinthes interrupted him, saying: 
“ That must have been one of the Titans who 
attempted to storm heaven and to deprive 
Jupiter of his throne.” 

Isaiah replied, indignantly : “ Do not in- 
trude with thy superstitious legends. Hast 
thou not often told me that thou dost not 
believe them to be true ?” 

Then he continued: “ Jehovah punished 
Adam and Eve, his wife, for their ingrati- 
tude and presumption by expelling them from 
Paradise, and subjecting them to toil, disease, 
and death; for, since sin had entered the 
world, death, its inseparable companion, 
had to follow, otherwise there would have 
been no check upon the wickedness of man.” 

“And what has become of the philoso- 


188 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

pher’s stone?” inquired Melchior. “Was 
the first man so careless as to lose it ?” 

Isaiah replied : “ Sin made him lose what 
thou callest the philosopher’s stone, which was 
in reality nothing but the image of God in 
which he was created. But God has promised 
that he will send his Son into the world to 
teach mankind how to recover the lost estate. 
For him, the Messiah, my people wait pa- 
tiently and full of faith, for they look for 
the fulfilment of a prophecy made by our 
forefather Jacob upon his death-bed.” 

44 Prophecy ?” inquired Caspa. “ Had he 
then the power of foretelling future events ?” 

“Yes,” replied Isaiah. “Moreover, we 
have a number of books, in which are fore- 
told events that are to come to pass ; and a 
part of these prophecies have already been 
fulfilled. Listen to the words of Jacob, which 
he spoke under the influence of the Holy 
Spirit ! ‘ The scepter shall not depart from 

J udah nor a lawgiver from between his feet, 
until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the 
gathering of the people be.’ Alas ! the 
scepter has departed from Judah, for king 
Herod, who now reigns over Judea, is a de- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


139 


scendant of Esau, and the sons of Israel 
have to pay tribute to the Romans. The 
time for the Messiah to come is at hand. 
Welcome, then, thou beautiful star! thou 
herald of better times for my down-trodden 
people !” Then he raised his hands toward 
heaven and continued with great enthusiasm : 
u Welcome, new-born king of Israel! to thee 
the nations will bow with reverence. Thou 
comest to dry the tears which we have wept 
in our anguish. Beneath thy glorious sway 
Israel will again sit down under his own vine 
and fig tree. Led by thee we shall again 
become a great and mighty nation, such as 
we were, when David and Solomon reigned 
over us.” 

The kings and the magi stood in solemn 
silence around the Israelite, who had fallen 
upon his knees, and continued to worship 
God with psalms and thanksgiving. It was 
a sublime scene. Beneath them lay the im- 
mense capital, with its long streets and nu- 
merous houses. The stream that divided 
the city appeared like a silver thread upon 
the dark ground. Above them was the 
vaulted firmament, with its untold thousands 


140 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


of glittering worlds, which looked down upon 
the earth through their dark veil,*and in 
their midst shone that mysterious star, the 
harbinger of the new-born Messiah. 

A pause ensued, during which every one 
seemed to commune with his own heart. 
After a few minutes, Caspa inquired of Bal- 
thasar whether he contemplated a visit to 
the land of the Israelites. 

“ Yes,” replied the latter : “ For according 
to Isaiah’s account, there are waters in his 
country that possess miraculous powers, and 
I hope they will restore my child to health.” 

When Caspa heard this, he said : “I should 
like very much to accompany thee. Various 
reasons incline me thereto. I have no doubt 
the journey would afford me much amuse- 
ment and many adventures. I am also 
very anxious to see this new-born king, and 
to form an alliance with his father, who must 
be a powerful monarch. But that which in- 
fluences me most to undertake this journey 
is a desire to see the prophetic books of which 
thy Jewish interpreter has spoken. What 
sayest thou, brother Melchior? Wouldst 
thou accompany us ?” 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


141 


Melchior replied : U I am ready to accom- 
pany thee, if thou seest proper to go with our 
German brother. It will not take me far out 
of my way, and it will be more agreeable to re- 
turn by a different route from that by which I 
came hither. And then it is possible, if the 
Israelite has spoken the truth, that the new- 
born king, or his father, may be in possession 
of the philosopher’s stone, and may be in- 
duced to part with it, for a consideration.” 

“ Well !” said Caspa, “ Let us then go to- 
gether in search of the new-born king ; if 
Balthasar will promise not to leave us until 
we have found him.” 

Balthasar replied : “ I promise that I will 
not leave you until we have reached the capi- 
tal of Judea, or have found the new-born king.” 

“Then,” said Caspa, “since part of our 
object is to obtain the philosopher’s stone, 
let us be consistent and travel as philosophers, 
magi they are called with us; but in order to 
do this, we must lay aside our royal gar- 
ments and dispense with our numerous at- 
tendants. I have long wished to divest myself, 
for a short time, of the luxuries and privileges 
of a king, and to see how one lives without 
12 


142 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


crown and scepter. And then I mistrust 
the Romans ; I am afraid if we were to ap- 
pear in Judea as kings, they might seize us, 
and attempt to deprive us of our kingdoms.” 

The Greek, who was an attentive listener 
to all that was said, smiled significantly at 
this remark. That smile did not escape 
Isaiah’s observant eye. 

“ I intend to let my people return by the 
same route by which we came,” observed 
Melchior. “ Two or three body servants are 
enough for my comfort.” 

“More would be troublesome to any of 
us,” added Caspa. 

“As for me,” said Balthasar warmly, “I 
do not intend to separate myself either from 
my child or from any of my people.” 

But Caspa replied mildly, “We do not ex- 
pect it of thee, my brother. But thou wilt 
certainly not object to dividing them into 
small companies, and to let them follow a 
few miles apart, so as to avoid unnecessary 
display ?” 

Balthasar consented to this arrangement, 
and they all agreed to set out upon their 
journey on the following morning. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


143 


CHAPTER IX. 

THE AMBUSH. 

The three kings were now on their jour- 
ney through the most thinly settled part of 
Asia Minor. 

Caspa and Melchior had divested them- 
selves of all their royal pomp. Crown and 
scepter, silk garments and precious stones 
had been laid aside. They were travelling 
in the simple garb of eastern magi. Baltha- 
sar’s crown and scepter, together with his 
leopard skin, had been returned to Isaiah’s 
package, and the king’s ordinary dress was 
already so simple that no further alteration 
was deemed necessary. Melchior had chosen 
for himself a white horse; Caspa a small 
brown courser of the Arabian breed; and 
Balthasar was mounted upon his faithful 
black charger, which had now recovered from 
the wounds inflicted by the lion. Behind 
the three kings rode their three interpreters, 
accompanied by three armed followers. The 


144 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


other warriors of Balthasar, with Isaiah and 
Erna, followed in small companies. When 
evening came, all collected together, and 
encamped at some convenient spot, guarded 
by Balthasar’s trusty Germans. 

One day, as they were riding along through 
a sandy country, Caspa said to his compa- 
nions : “ I think that, after all, every thing 
has two sides. When I lived as a king, time 
hung heavily on my hands, and I enjoyed 
neither the pleasures of my table nor the 
luxury of my silken couches. Sometimes I 
became melancholy, and then nothing could 
give me pleasure. Now, living as a philoso- 
pher, I am in good spirits, though I can 
hardly give a reason for it. Sometimes I even 
get hungry, and eat things with pleasure that 
formerly I would not have suffered to come 
upon my table. That is the good side of a 
philosopher’s life. But then it is very an- 
noying to be troubled by flies and musquitoes, 
and no one near to chase them away. Then 
to be exposed all day to the burning sun is 
not very pleasant. Neither is it very agree- 
able to be compelled to endure the fatigue 
of riding on horseback the whole day, and 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 145 

when evening comes not even to have the 
prospect of a comfortable chamber for a 
night’s rest. This is the bad side of it. I 
hope I shall become a great prophet, as a 
reward for undergoing all these depriva- 
tions.” 

“ Hurr ! hurr !” exclaimed Melchior, shak- 
ing in every limb. “What a freezing cli- 
mate this is ! I am cold enough to become 
as pale as my royal brother from Europe. 
The sun seems to have lost its heat in this 
country. Hurr!” 

“ Here, my brother,” said Balthasar, while 
he took the bearskin from his shoulders and 
fastened it around the Moorish king, “ take 
this to keep thee warm. To me it is only a 
burden, and my poor horse seems no less 
troubled by it. But let us rest here a short 
time, and give Erna an opportunity to over- 
take us. We are far from any town; there 
is, therefore, no reason why we should not 
gather together for a short time. I should 
like to know if my people passed the Roman 
camp without attracting attention.” 

They all agreed to stop and rest. Caspa 

dismounted, complaining that he could hardly 

12 * 


146 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

move. He found a soft mossy couch beneath 
the shade of a tree, upon which he stretched 
himself, groaning all the time, comforting 
himself, however, with the contents of a 
large leathern bottle which was handed him 
by his servant. 

Melchior selected a seat where he could 
bask in the sun, and called to his servant 
for a bag of spices, of which he freely par- 
took to warm his blood. Balthasar rode to 
the top of a neighboring hill, where he 
watched for his child and people. After a 
short time, they all arrived in small compa- 
nies, except Perinthes and two German 
warriors. 

“ Where is the Greek ?” inquired Balthasar. 

The German captain of the troop replied : 
“ We met a Roman soldier, of whom Perinthes, 
as he told us, inquired about the road, the 
distance we had still to travel, and how far 
it was to Ephesus. I mistrusted the man, 
and told two of our warriors to remain with 
him and accompany him hither. But here 
they come.” 

Isaiah became thoughtful when he heard 
the captain’s report, but he remained silent. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


147 


King Balthasar had eyes only for his child, 
whose improved health filled his heart with 
rejoicing. 

After a short rest, the party continued 
their journey in one body, for it was now near 
sun-set, and they did not wish to separate 
again before nightfall. Isaiah noticed, as 
they advanced, that Perinthes stopped seve- 
ral times and cut the bark from the trees, as 
if for amusement. This caused the Israelite 
to say: “Perinthes, dost thou think that we 
will have to return the same way ?” 

Perinthes became a little confused, but 
replied, with assumed indifference: “It is 
not impossible we may have to do so.” Then 
he bit his lips, and continued his operations 
at longer intervals. 

Soon after sunset our travellers found a 
suitable spot on which to encamp. The 
tents for the kings and Erna were pitched, 
and the Germans encamped around those 
that were occupied by Balthasar and his 
child. Before Caspa retired to his tent, he 
went to a neighboring hill and consulted the 
stars, particularly that of the new-born king. 
When he returned, he said to Balthasar and 


148 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


Melchior : “ The configuration of the stars 
promise us a quiet and pleasant night.” 

Isaiah noticed the malicious smile upon 
the face of the Greek when Caspa made this 
announcement. He then sought his couch, 
which he had spread next to that of Pe- 
rinthes, but he did not close his eyes even 
after the other had apparently gone to sleep. 
And this precaution proved a wise one ; for, 
after every one in the camp had apparently 
retired for the night, Perinthes slowly raised 
his head from his pillow and listened. After 
a few minutes of irresolution, he arose, and 
with a stealthy step went to the horses and cut 
their halters. He then went to where the 
lances were staked, and carried them to a dis- 
tant place. After that, he glided noiselessly 
as a serpent out of the camp. But Isaiah had 
watched his proceedings. While the other 
was engaged in his acts of treachery, Isaiah 
went from one to the other of his companions 
and awakened them cautiously, telling them 
what was going on, and recommending them 
to be calm and on their guard. He brought 
their lances and other weapons. The horses 
were soon caught, and every one prepared 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


149 


himself in perfect silence for immediate ac- 
tion. 

Balthasar, who seemed to have but one 
care, and that was for his child, was making 
preparations for her security when he was 
thus addressed by Isaiah : “Be not troubled, 
0 king ! As the Lord liveth, I will protect 
thy child, and no harm shall befall her, let 
the issue be what it will.” There was some- 
thing in the tone of the Israelite which com- 
forted and assured the king, though he knew 
not why. 

A few minutes afterwards, Perinthes the 
traitor appeared with a troop of Boman sol- 
diers. But instead of finding a helpless band 
buried in the arms of sleep, they encountered 
a marshalled troop fully armed and prepared 
to receive them. The German warriors did 
not remain on the defensive, but attacked 
the enemy vigorously. Soon the contest 
became warm, for the Romans, besides 
having the advantage of numbers, were not 
willing to have it said that they were over- 
come by a few Barbarians. The Germans, 
on the other hand, fought with their wonted 
bravery and fearlessness, for their beloved 


150 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


king and his child. And their strength and 
stubbornness triumphed at last, over the al- 
ready degenerate and effeminate sons of 
Rome. They fell fast beneath the German 
lances and battle-axes. And when the rem- 
nant made a last and desperate stand, they 
found themselves assailed by a reinforcement, 
which had just appeared upon the ground. 
The Asiatic and African soldiers, who at 
first had sought safety in flight, now returned 
and came to the aid of their German allies. 
They fell upon the surviving Romans, and 
cut them down until there was not one left 
to tell of the defeat. As soon as the battle 
was ended, Balthasar turned to the place 
where he had left his child ; but he stood as 
if paralyzed, when he found the place vacant 
and not a trace of Erna, or any of her at- 
tendants to be found. And Isaiah, where 
was he ? Alas ! he also had gone. A terri- 
ble suspicion arose in the mind of the king, 
that the Jew had acted the part of a traitor 
and had carried off his child, but he cast it 
quickly aside as unworthy of him or Isaiah. 
However neither the latter nor Erna were 
anywhere to be found. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


151 


When the day began to dawn, the three 
kings examined the ground where the combat 
had taken place. It was strewed with the 
dead. Only three of the German warriors 
had fallen, though almost every one of Bal- 
thasar’s followers was more or less wounded. 
The Moors and the Persians threw the bodies 
of the slain Homans into a pit, which they 
had dug for that purpose, but the Germans 
would not suffer their companions in arms to 
be thrown into the hole. They buried their 
brothers with all the honors of war, and their 
king, as chief mourner, superintended the 
funeral. After they had finished this sad 
duty, they searched the country around for 
Erna and Isaiah. Only Odo and Hermina 
and the two female attendants, with their 
arms and feet tied, were found lying under a 
tree about half a mile from the camp. They 
stated that Erna had been carried off by 
Perinthes, who had ordered the soldiers to 
tie their hands and feet, and leave them at 
some distance from the camp. Hermina stated 
further that Isaiah had fought with Perin- 
thes, and endeavored to save the princess, 
and that finally they all were lost out of 


152 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


sight, owing to the darkness of the night. 
As soon as Balthasar had received these re- 
ports, he called his people together to make 
preparations for a vigorous pursuit. But 
Caspa stopped him, and said with a gloomy 
countenance, “ This cannot be done, my 
royal brother ; for we have thy word, solemnly 
pledged to us, that thou wilt accompany and 
protect us in our journey, until we shall have 
found the new-born king of the Jews. Thou 
certainly wilt not break thy promise, after 
the perfidious Greek has brought the Romans 
upon us. Thou saidst, not long ago, that 
the people in thy country never violate their 
word.” ' 

King Balthasar bowed his head, and coun- 
termanded the orders he had given to his 
followers. His heart was lacerated and 
bleeding, but he was determined not to vio- 
late his promise* It was a noble boast among 
the Germans, that their word was more to be 
relied upon than the oaths of their Roman 
neighbors. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


153 


CHAPTER X. 

JUDEA. 

The three kings and their followers ar 
rived in Judea without any other accident. 
The newly risen star was their sole guide. 
After they had advanced a short distance into 
the country, Melchior inquired of his com- 
panions : “ To what city do you propose to 
go ? Where do you expect to find the new- 
born king of the Jews ? The Hebrew who 
was our guide, and who seemed to possess all 
the necessary information is gone. It is 
true, the star still points to the same part 
of the heavens, hut I do not think we shall 
be able to find the particular place or town 
where the child lives.” 

“Where?” replied Caspa. “What a 
strange question !” I have always heard that 
the king of the Jews has his residence at Jeru- 
salem. We must, therefore, direct our steps 
to that city. I am curious to know how Je- 
rusalem compares with Ispahan. I must 
13 


154 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


confess that there is nothing, in all that I 
have thus far seen of Judea, calculated to 
give me a very high opinion of the land. 
Halloo ! Pombus ! go and inquire of yon 
countryman the name of the river we see 
before us.” 

The interpreter obeyed his order, and on 
his return said : “ It is the river Jordan, my 
lord and king.” 

When Balthasar heard the name of the 
river, he began to show some signs of inte- 
rest in the country. The river Jordan ! 
How closely connected was that river with 
Erna, whose health and happiness he was 
in search of. The Jordan, that marvellous 
river, whose waters cured the Syrian lord, 
was now before him. But where was Erna ? 
That Jordan of which Isaiah had related so 
many wonderful things; that Jordan which 
was to cure his beloved child ! And the bit- 
ter tears of a bereaved father came unbidden 
to his eyes. 

When they reached the shores of the 
stream, Caspa inquired: “Must we cross 
the river ?” 

“Yes, my lord,” said the interpreter. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


155 


“But,” replied Caspa, “I see neither 
bridge nor vessel to carry us oyer. This 
does not look like accommodations worthy 
of three royal magi, who have undertaken 
so long a journey to do honor to the new- 
born king. What dost thou mean to do, my 
silent Balthasar.” 

But Balthasar had already plunged his 
horse into the water, and replied, simply : 
“I intend to cross over, as thou seest, my 
brother.” 

Caspa and Melchior looked hesitatingly at 
each other. The German warriors had, in 
the mean time, followed the example of their 
king, and even the women, with Hermina 
and Odo, urged their horses into the water. 
But Caspa looked still irresolutely at his 
small horse, and then again at the brave 
German men, women, and children, as they 
abandoned themselves fearlessly to the tur- 
bulent waters. Shame finally overcame his 
fear ; he beckoned his people to keep close 
to him, and then spurred his horse into the 
river. Melchior followed, but with still 
greater timidity. They all reached the op- 
posite shore without a single accident. As 


156 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


soon as Caspa and Melchior were on dry 
ground, they congratulated themselves on 
the success of their courage and boldness. 

“ Hurr !” exclaimed Melchior, shaking with 
cold while his servants were dressing him in 
dry garments. “If anybody deserves to 
find the philosopher’s stone it is I, for I risk 
my life to find a safeguard against death.” 

To which Caspa replied: “And I hope 
the writings of the Hebrews will teach me 
how to look into the future better than the 
stars did when I prophesied a quiet night 
the very moment the Romans were about to 
attack us.” 

Balthasar gave no heed to this foolish con- 
versation, but kneeling down on the banks 
of the Jordan, he immersed his head seven 
times in its sacred waters, murmuring to 
himself: “I do this for my child — may it 
prove a blessing to her.” 

They all then mounted their horses and 
continued their journey. After a few 
days, they arrived at the valley of Salem, 
where, many centuries before, King Melchesi- 
dec with bread and wine met Abraham, as 
he was returning from his victory over Che- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 157 

dorlaomer, king of Elam, and his allies. 
Here they beheld, for the first time, Jerusa- 
lem with its houses and palaces surrounded 
by mountains and hills, every one of which 
at some time had been the scene of a memo- 
rable event. Before them lay the royal for- 
tress of Zion, on whose terraces David had 
played the harp and breathed forth his su- 
blime psalms. Alas ! Roman soldiers were 
now its occupants, and looked proudly down 
upon the city, now tributary to their empe- 
ror. They saw the magnificent temple of 
the Lord, the solemn though silent witness 
of the many changes in the fortunes of Is- 
rael. Its golden ornaments glittered in the 
evening sun, and roused the cupidity of the 
Roman soldiers. 

On the very spot, where a few years after- 
wards Christ the Lord wept over Jerusalem 
and its wretched inhabitants, stood now the 
proud Caspa, who said : “ And after all it is 
by no means to be compared to Ispahan. 
Melchior broke a branch of a palm, and uping 
it as a fan, sighed, and said: “Brother 
Caspa, where are our harnessed lions ? Where 
our canopies ? our elephants and servants ? 

13 * 


158 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

Who is there here to celebrate our coming ? 
We are about to enter the city like beggars, 
and not as mighty kings. Everybody seems 
to be very quiet in the city. Not a shout 
or a procession to celebrate the birth of the 
new king. I hope the star has not deceived 
us, as thy stars did the other night.” 

Balthasar paid no attention to their con- 
versation. What was Jerusalem — what was 
Zion — what was the temple to him ? He 
looked only for the pool of Bethesda. In his 
heart he entertained a secret hope that he 
would find his child there, with renewed 
health, and under the guidance of Isaiah. 
He longed impatiently for the moment when 
he might stand by the healing waters. As 
soon as they had reached the inn, he left his 
companions and went in search of the pool 
before the sheep gate. 

The sun had already sunk behind the ho- 
rizon when Balthasar reached the silent and 
sluggish waters. Around the pool were co- 
vered stone benches, all occupied by invalids. 
Terrible was the spectacle which presented 
itself to the eye of the king. He saw before 
him, as it were, a battle-field, upon which 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


159 


sickness, the most fearful enemy of man, had 
stretched his helpless victims. Nothing but 
groans and lamentations were heard. 

In whatever direction the king cast his 
eyes he beheld persons of every age and sex 
writhing in agony, — everywhere living pic- 
tures of death. Every eye was strained to 
see the black and sluggish waters stirred 
into motion. 

Suddenly there came a shout. One of the 
overseers saw or thought he saw the waters 
slightly stirred by some invisible power, and 
he announced the fact with a loud voice. 
Then there arose a confusion among the inva- 
lids, such as Balthasar had never before wit- 
nessed. The sick appeared to have suddenly 
regained their strength, and every limb was 
tasked to the utmost to gain the pool in time. 
Some limped, some crept upon their hands 
and feet, while others slid along the ground 
like reptiles. 

Balthasar stood confounded at this sudden 
commotion, when a plaintive voice close be- 
side him struck upon his ear. “ Stranger !” 
said an emaciated girl, who was incapable of 
moving hand or foot, “have pity on me; 


160 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


many years have I suffered and waited here 
for the stirring of the waters. I have no 
one to carry me to the pool. Thou art 
strong and healthy, come and aid me, that I 
may regain my health !” Balthasar’s feel- 
ings did not suffer him to reply. He lifted 
the poor girl in his strong arms, and passing 
by the crawling and limping multitude, he 
reached the pool first, and plunged his bur- 
den into the water. “May another do as 
much for my Erna,” said he, while a tear 
started in his eye. The girl rose with a 
shout of joy, and reached the shore with 
thanks to God and her human deliverer 
upon her lips. But from the disappointed 
multitude there arose so heart-piercing a cry 
of lamentations, mingled with imprecations 
and groans, that Balthasar hastened to leave 
the place, and escape from the harrowing 
scene before him. 

When he reached the inn, he met Caspa, 
who came toward him with a gloomy counte- 
nance ; and as soon as he was near enough, he 
exclaimed, “ Alas ! I am afraid the new star 
and your friend Isaiah have sent us on a 
fool’s errand. No one here knows any thing 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 161 

about a new-born king of the Jews. What 
is now to be done ? I think, since we are 
here, it may be just as well to pay our re- 
spects to the king of the Jews, and inquire of 
him concerning the matter. Every day in- 
creases my doubts concerning the truth of 
astrology, and I am almost led to believe 
that all my astrologers are flatterers and 
liars. Dost thou not think the same of thy 
Isaiah ?” 

But Balthasar had just returned from a 
sight which was by no means calculated to 
weaken his .faith in what Isaiah had told him 
of the wonders of Judea. Then again, on 
the other hand, the reality in which the Jor- 
dan and the pool of Bethesda exhibited 
themselves to him, was so different from 
what his imagination had pictured them, 
that he replied with a sigh, “ I have fulfilled 
my promise. I have accompanied you to 
Jerusalem. Now let me depart and seek my 
child. What other star do I care for than 
that which beams in the blue eye of my 
Erna? What is the new-born king of the 
Jews to me, if I must return childless to my 
forest home? Let me go and seek my 


162 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


daughter, and if my search prove fruitless, 
let me die.” 

But Caspa replied, “ No, my brother, thy 
promise is not yet fulfilled. Let us first go 
to the king of Judea, and learn of him, 
whether we are deceived or not. Let us 
visit him to-morrow morning.” 

Early on the following morning, the three 
kings, accompanied by an interpreter, ap- 
peared in the ante-chamber of king Herod. 
They presented themselves there as magi. 
Caspa and Melchior carried each a little 
casket which contained presents for the new- 
born king. Balthasar went with a desolate 
heart, and with empty hands, for all his gold, 
as well as his scepter and. crown, was in the 
box which Isaiah had carried with him when 
he disappeared. 

When Caspa had entered the palace, he 
examined the apartment and the furniture 
with a disdainful look, and said, “ Indeed ! as 
a king of Ispahan, I would be ashamed to 
enter such a hovel. What a miserable abode ! 
Poverty everywhere ! What a difference be- 
tween this hut, and my lofty palace ! Host 
thou not think so, my white brother ?” But 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


163 


Balthasar thought of his modest dwelling 
in the forests of Germany, and sighed. For 
there he had lived with his child. What 
cared he for the loftiest palace if Erna could 
not share it with him ? 

The three disguised kings had to wait a 
considerable time in the ante-chamber of 
king Herod ; and Caspa, who became impa- 
tient of such treatment, gave vent to his dis- 
pleasure, by saying, “ This king of the Jews 
seems sadly deficient in hospitality. Not 
even water to wash our feet has been offered, 
no refreshments, not even a couch to rest 
upon.” 

After a few moments, some servants were 
seen dragging a sort of throne into a hall op- 
posite the chamber where the kings were 
waiting for an audience. Then appeared 
Herod, surrounded by a small number of at- 
tendants, and seated himself upon his throne. 
Herod was a man about forty years of age, 
with a bloated countenance, small gray eyes, 
and a very fat, unwieldy body. After he had 
examined the strangers for a short time, with 
cunning and downcast eyes, he beckoned 
them to approach and state their wishes. 


164 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


The three kings drew near, and after the 
customary oriental salutation, crossed their 
hands upon their breasts, and said, “ Where 
is he that is born king of the Jews ? for we 
have seen his star in the east, and are come 
to worship him.” 

When Herod heard what they said, he was 
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 

“ A new-born king of the Jews,” inquired 
he, pale with fear. “ Are ye not mistaken ? 
For no son has been born to me. How long 
is it since you have heard of him ?” 

Then said Caspa to himself, “ I begin to 
see how it is. Wait, thou niggard king, I 
will pay thee now for the shabby reception 
which thou hast given us. I will frighten thee 
until thou shalt be afraid of thine own sha- 
dow,” and then he continued aloud, “ We are 
not mistaken, 0 king. Plainly did the bright- 
est and greatest of stars testify of the birth 
of the king of the Jews. We cannot tell thee 
the day and the hour when it arose. But it 
is about a month since we discovered it in 
the heavens. It has been our guide, and 
went before us until it has brought us into 
thy kingdom. All the astrologers agree that 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


165 


the new-born king will be a mighty and pow- 
erful ruler, and that all the nations will bow 
before him. All other kings will have to 
obey him, or be swept from the face of the 
earth. Therefore, tell us where is the new- 
born king of the Jews, that we may go and 
worship him.” 

Herod had in the meantime recovered 
somewhat from his consternation. And 
feigning anger, he replied, with a dark brow, 
“Ye are deceived! or ye are deceivers! I 
know of no new-born king of the Jews, de- 
scended from me, and I recognise no other 
as such.” 

Then Melchior said, “Is it likely that we 
should assemble together from different parts 
of the world, and undertake a long and tedious 
journey, in order to deceive thee ? We have 
not come to obtain a favor, but to bring pre- 
sents to the new-born king. Is it customary 
for deceivers to bring such presents as these !” 
and he opened the casket which he held 
under his arm, and showed Herod its costly 
contents. 

Caspa continued, “ One of the sages of thy 

nation has assured us, that thou hast mys- 
14 


166 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

terious and sacked books, which contain all 
the information concerning this king, and 
every one of thy subjects, of whom we have 
inquired, confirmed the statement of the sage, 
but no one could give us the particulars con- 
cerning the place of his birth or his abode.” 

“Then,” exclaimed Herod, “let the wise 
men of my realm be called.” Soon the mes- 
sengers returned with a number of old and 
venerable men, with long white beards, who 
held in their hands large rolls of parchment, 
which they opened at the king’s command. 

“Tell me, ye wise men of Israel,” said 
Herod, “where is the promised and long 
expected Messiah to be born.” 

The wise men answered, with one accord, 
“ In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is writ- 
ten by the prophet, 4 And thou Bethlehem, 
in the land of Juda, art not the least among 
the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall 
come a Governor, that shall rule my people 
Israel.’” 

After he heard this, Herod said to the 
kings, “Ye magi of the east, ye have heard 
now where ye must look for the new-born 
king. Go and search diligently for the young 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI, 167 

child; and when ye have found him, bring 
me word again, that I may come and worship 
him also.” 

“I doubt that much,” muttered Caspa. 
Then he said aloud : “ Tell us, mighty king, 
where is Bethlehem? Is it far from here, 
for we are tired and weary of travelling.” 

Herod replied, “ Bethlehem is hardly a 
day’s journey from Jerusalem. Go in peace, 
and remember my request.” 

After this, they returned to their inn to 
prepare for the journey. On their way, 
Caspa said to Melchior : “ My brother, He- 
rod must think that we are fools instead of 
sages, if he believes we have any confidence 
in what he says. We know very well how 
such an event would affect us if it were to 
take place in either of our kingdoms;” and 
then turning to Balthasar, he said: “Well, 
my royal brother, thou seest that thou canst 
not as yet separate from us. Bethlehem 
must be the end of our journey.” 


168 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


CHAPTER XI. 

BETHLEHEM. 

It was about the middle of January when 
the travellers left for Bethlehem, but the 
country about Jerusalem looked very dif- 
ferent from what it does with us in that 
month. There was no snow upon the green 
fields, no ice upon the rivers, pools, and 
lakes. The trees were all covered with green 
foliage, merrily sung the little birds upon 
the boughs, and gayly fluttered the butter- 
flies from flower to flower. And thus it is 
always in Judea, in December and January. 

The three royal magi had travelled all 
day, for they were anxious to arrive at their 
journey’s end. The sun had already gone 
down when they saw before them the little 
town of Bethlehem, embosomed in a peaceful 
valley. Above the cluster of houses stretched 
the beautiful firmament, with its twinkling 
stars, like a royal canopy. The chief of its 
ornaments was the bright star of the new 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 16S 

born king of the Jews. It occupied the cen- 
tre, directly over the town, like a great dia- 
mond among smaller ones. All felt the 
influence of the scene before them. Not a 
word was uttered by either of the kings. 
Even on Balthasar’s heart it had a soothing 
effect. His grief for the loss of his child 
became less poignant. It appeared to him 
as if he were approaching his home after a 
long journey, and he could hardly persuade 
himself that Erna was not near, to welcome 
him in her usual way with kisses and caresses. 
Caspa was the first to break the general 
silence. 

“ There is the star,” said he. “ It is right 
above the town. If we are to estimate the 
grandeur of the prince by his abode, I would 
say he must be the son of some plain hus- 
bandman, that his mother is a servant, his 
palace a stable, and his cradle a manger. 
Melchior! hast thou not some misgivings 
about the philosopher’s stone? I fear that 
I shall learn but little from the prophetic 
writings of the Jews.” 

Melchior replied, peevishly, “ I am sick of 

this travelling over hill and dale. It will be 

14 * 


170 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


a long time ere I’ll try it again. I am almost 
frozen to death, and it will be two months 
before I can again bask beneath the genial 
sun of my country. Would that I were at 
home !” 

When they approached the town, they 
were met by a company of shepherds, who 
had just folded their flocks. Caspa inquired 
of them whether they knew any thing of the 
new-born king of the Jews. “Yes,” an- 
swered the oldest among them, a venerable 
man, with snowy locks and flowing beard, 
“ About a month ago, while we were watch- 
ing our flocks by night, an angel of the Lord 
came to us and said, ‘ Fear not : for behold I 
bring you good tidings of great joy, which 
shall be to all people. For unto you is born 
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall 
be a sign unto you ; Ye shall find the babe 
wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a man- 
ger.’ And suddenly there was with the 
angel a multitude of the heavenly host 
praising God, and saying, c Glory to God in 
the highest, and on earth peace, good will 
toward men.’ Then we went in haste to 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 171 

Bethlehem, to see the things which God had 
made known unto us. 

“ We found the holy family ; the child was 
lying in a manger, and we bowed down and 
worshipped the Messiah, the new-born king 
of the Jews.” 

When Caspa heard these things, he said 
to himself, “ This is strange ! very strange ! 
Can it be that what I prophesied so thought- 
lessly should after all prove true. Brethren ! 
come, let us go and see for ourselves.” Then 
turning to the shepherds, he inquired, “ Where 
are we likely to find this babe, thjs new-born 
king.” 

The old man replied, “ In the first inn, to 
the right hand as ye enter the town.” 

The royal magi then went into the town, 
and when they had come to the inn to which 
the shepherds had directed them, they saw a 
young woman standing before the door. 
Caspa inquired of her, “ Canst thou tell us 
where we can find the new-born babe, the 
king of the Jews ?” and then turning to Mel- 
chior, he said : “ See his star stands directly 
over this house.” 

The girl replied, “ If you go to the stable, 


172 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


you will find a new-born child, of which the 
shepherds tell wonderful things. They say 
he is the infant Messiah ; but who can tell 
whether he is to be a high-priest or a king Y* 

The three kings then dismounted, and 
went into the stable. It was a large solid 
building of stone. Around the walls were 
stalls for camels, horses, asses, and horned 
cattle. The roof was supported by a number 
of stone pillars, on one of which hung a 
lamp, which illuminated only the space in 
its immediate vicinity, leaving the other parts 
of the stable in obscurity. Most of the ra- 
tional as well as irrational occupants had 
gone to sleep. Silence prevailed throughout 
the apartment, only here and there broken by 
the whispered prayers of some one engaged 
in his evening devotions. Everywhere tired 
travellers were reposing upon the moss or hay, 
beside their equally tired beasts of burden. 

The picture we have here given did not 
fail to impress Caspa with feelings akin to 
devotion. He manifested them by entering 
more solemnly and noiselessly than it might 
have been expected from one so accustomed 
to regal splendor. He advanced toward a 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


173 


pillar, where a venerable looking man and a 
young woman were conversing together in a 
subdued tone. “ Where is the new-horn 
babe ?” inquired he of them. “ Where is he 
who is to be the future king of the Jews ? 
His star which we have seen in the east 
stands over this house. Is there, indeed, in 
this place, a new-born child of more than or- 
dinary character?” 

“ Yonder lies the child,” replied the young 
woman, as she pointed to a neighboring man- 
ger, where they saw a beautiful babe wrapped 
in snow-white swaddling clothes, and fast 
asleep. 

Caspa turned from the child to the young 
woman, and said, “ Whose babe is this?” 

“It is my child,” replied the woman, with 
a mother’s pride. 

“And art thou his father?” continued Cas- 
pa turning to the man at her side. 

“No, my lord,” replied the man. “Je- 
hovah is his father. But its mother is my 
wife Mary.” 

“ What is thy occupation ? and what thy 
name, man of Israel?” continued the per- 
plexed Caspa. 


174 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


“I am a carpenter and my name is Jo- 
seph,” replied the man. 

Then Caspa turned again to Mary and 
said, “But who art thou? and what are the 
circumstances connected with the birth of the 
child?” 

Mary replied, u I am one of the humblest 
handmaidens of the Lord. But Jehovah has 
had compassion on me, for henceforth shall 
all mankind consider me blessed. An angel 
appeared to me and prophesied that my child 
should become great, and should be called 
the Son of the Highest, and that the Lord 
would give him the throne of his father 
David, and that he should be a king over the 
house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom 
there should be no end.” 

Caspa seemed more and more perplexed. 
He returned to his friends, who had formed 
a group around the manger. There he saw 
Balthasar, who had carefully taken the child 
in his arms, and now impressed upon its 
face tender and loving kisses, then he laid 
his hand upon its head, as if to bless it, while 
warm tears gushed from his eyes. He thought 
of Erna while he held the babe to his breast. 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 175 ( 

While he was yet leaning over the child, he 
heard a rustling in the hay, and a German 
tongue uttered, as if in a dream, the word 
Father ! The king was seized with an in- 
voluntary tremor when he heard that voice. 
He quickly laid the babe in its mother’s arms, 
and asked, “Whose voice was that which 
I just heard pronouncing the word — Father ?” 

“ It was the strange child speaking in her 
sleep,” replied Mary. “Awake, or in her 
dreams, she talks constantly of a father, 
whom she expects to meet here.” 

“A strange child,” stammered Balthasar, 
becoming pale with emotion. 

“ Yes,” answered Mary. “ A pious Israel- 
ite brought her here a few days ago, and 
confided her to our care, telling us her fa- 
ther would come in a few days to take her 
home with him.” 

But Balthasar did not hear the last part 
of her reply, for he already knelt by the side 
of his child. Fearing to awaken her from 
her slumbers, he only permitted himself to 
whisper, amid smiles and tears, “Erna, my 
beloved Erna, my dear, my lost, my recovered 
child, I can hardly realize that thou art re- 


176 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

stored to my arms.” And he kissed her 
hands and cheeks with a gentleness like that 
of a mother. Erna awoke amidst his caresses, 
and throwing her arms around him, she said, 
“ My father ! at last thou art come, but I 
knew thou wouldst come, even if Isaiah had 
not solemnly assured me of it.” 

“ Ah, how I have mourned for thee,” ex- 
claimed Balthasar, “but my sorrow is now 
turned into joy, and the measure of my hap- 
piness will be filled, if the miraculous waters 
cure thy disease.” 

“My father,” replied Erna, with a happy 
smile, “ I am cured, wholly cured. The very 
first time I took the divine child in my arms, 
I felt that my disease had departed. Ever 
since, I have enjoyed the blessing of perfect 
health. My lips have sung the praises of my 
Redeemer, and my heart has been filled with 
gratitude.” 

“And what has become of Isaiah,” in- 
quired Balthasar. 

“He has vanished and will never return,” 
replied Erna. “ He was a messenger of the 
gods, or rather, as Mary says, an angel of 
the Most High, who has led me to my Sa- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 177 

viour. Yes, my father, thou mayst believe 
it, the child is the Saviour of the world, and 
for that reason is called Jesus.” 

“ Tell me, my dear Erna,” continued Bal- 
thasar, “ all that has happened to thee since 
that dreadful night.” 

Erna replied, 11 Oh, that fearful night, I 
shall never forget it. Whilst thou wert en- 
gaged in combating the Homans, the Greek 
came to me and said thou hadst ordered him 
to place me in some concealed spot for safety, 
and that I must follow him without any of 
my attendants, that the Romans might not 
suspect my flight. This is all I heard ; what 
further happened I do not know, for my 
disease attacked me suddenly, and I be- 
came unconscious. It was broad daylight 
when I recovered. Perinthes had dis- 
appeared, but in his stead I saw the good 
Isaiah standing beside me, and I learned 
from him that he had rescued me from the 
hands of the Greek, just as the latter was 
about to carry me off, and that Perinthes had 
fled, no one knew whither. I could not ima- 
gine why the Greek wished to carry me with 

him. Our good Isaiah told me that Perin- 
15 


178 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


thes had betrayed us to the Romans, in order 
to share with them the treasures of which 
he knew the kings were possessed. He said 
also that he wished to carry me off, that he 
might boast in his own land of having the 
daughter of a German king for his slave. 
Our endeavors to find thee and thy compa- 
nions were all fruitless; we concluded there- 
fore to follow the star, and look for the new- 
born king of the Jews, in the hope of finding 
thee near him.” 

“Didst thou cross the river Jordan, my 
child,” inquired Balthasar, “and didst thou 
bathe in its waters?” 

“Yes, my father,” replied Erna, “I crossed 
the river and bathed seven times in its waves, 
but I experienced no benefit from it.” 

“ And didst thou also visit Jerusalem, and 
the pool of Bethesda,” continued Balthasar. 

“No, my father; we travelled directly and 
without stopping to Bethlehem, for Isaiah 
said that he knew that there the Messiah 
was to be born. Before the town we met 
some shepherds, who were watching their 
flocks. They told us that a short time ago, 
as they were watching their sheep by night, 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


179 


an angel came down and announced to them 
the birth of the Messiah, whom they would 
find at Bethlehem in a manger. Then the 
angel was joined by a host of heavenly be- 
ings who praised the God of Israel, and an- 
nounced peace and good-will toward men. The 
shepherds sought the child the same night, 
and found it just as the angel told them. 
We had then no further difficulty in finding 
the babe, and as soon as we found it, Isaiah 
left me, saying he must return home. But I 
think, like Mary, the mother of the child Je- 
sus, that heaven is Isaiah’s home, and that 
he is an angel. He has left thy crown, 
scepter, and gold with me. Here they are, 
my father ; take them under thy care.” 

When Erna had finished her narrative, her 
father took her again in his arms and kissed 
her, then leaving her upon her couch he went 
to the child Jesus, which lay awake in its mo- 
ther’s arms, and imprinted a kiss upon its 
forehead. Then placing his crowi^ his scepter 
and his gold in Mary’s lap, he kneeled down 
before the infant Messiah, and said, humbly : 
“ Oh thou Saviour of my child, vouchsafe 
mercifully to accept the gift of a poor hea- 


180 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

then king. Do not despise the humble gra- 
titude of a father made happy by thee. 
Grant, also, that thy blessing may ever rest 
upon my child.” 

He then bent again over the infant Sa- 
viour, and kissed his small and delicate 
hands, and Erna, who knelt by bis side, 
followed in all these acts of worship the ex- 
ample of her father. And around them 
knelt Erna’s companions, and the tall forms 
of the German warriors, adoring and wor- 
shipping the Saviour of their king — their 
Saviour. 

When Caspa saw this, he whispered to 
Melchior : “ Shall we suffer this Balthasar 
to surpass us in generosity ? Have we not 
enough gold and jewels in our country ? At 
any rate, I am loth to carry this heavy cas- 
ket longer with me. I do Rot know but this 
child may, after all, become a mighty king. 
At least, let us not appear less generous than 
Balthasar. Who knows what may take place 
at some future time ?” 

Melchior consented to Caspa’s proposal. 
They knelt before the child Jesus apd wor- 
shipped him, “and when they had opened 


















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OFFERING GIFTS TO THE, INFANT SAVIOUR, 



THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


183 


their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ; 
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Their ser- 
vants and warriors followed their example, 
and in that humble stable representatives 
from Europe, Asia, and Africa, upon their 
knees, worshipped the infant Saviour. 

But Mary lifted her heart to God in praise, 
saying : “I am the handmaiden of the Lord. 
Thou hast done wonderful things to me ; thou 
art mighty, and holy is thy name, Lord God.” 

Joseph, her husband, stood by her side lost 
in devout meditation, with his eyes fixed upon 
the kneeling kings and their attendants. A 
solemn silence reigned throughout the apart- 
ment when they arose from their knees and 
returned to their couches. 


184 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


CHAPTER XII. 

THE FUTURE. 

Balthasar’s grief was now completely 
dispelled. He had obtained all he wished 
for, and joy beamed in his eyes. His be- 
loved Erna was 'restored to him, and not 
only restored, but restored with renewed 
health. The bloom was upon her cheek, 
and*her laugh was as joyous as in the days 
of her early childhood. But her natural 
charms were heightened by a train of reli- 
gious feelings, which seeing the Saviour and 
her conversations with Isaiah and Mary had 
called forth. 

While Caspa and Melchior sought their 
couches, sighing and lamenting over the poor 
accommodations, Balthasar was already en- 
joying the sweets of an undisturbed repose. 

That night he had a wonderful dream. 
He thought he saw Isaiah, who appeared to 
him in the form of a glorious angel of 
God, and said to him : “ The Isaiah who fell 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


185 


a captive into thy power, has long ago re- 
turned to his home and his family, but I, thy 
guide, am a messenger of the true God, who 
loves his children, and who commanded me 
to bring thee and thy child from thy distant 
fatherland into the presence of the Saviour 
of the world, that thy child might be cured, 
and that thou shouldst no longer remain in 
darkness and in the shadow of death. Thou 
hast now learned that God is a God of love, 
and that his children must love him above all 
things, and their fellow-men as brethren. 
Hereafter thou must not suffer any more 
human beings to be sacrificed at the altars 
of false gods, for Jehovah, the living God, 
will not permit such sin to go unpunished. 
He has written his holy law upon every man’s 
heart. Search thou for that law, and obey it, 
then wilt thou become a servant of the Most 
High. Worship him in spirit and in truth. 

“ Jesus whom thou hast held in thy arms 
will hereafter go forth and preach the gos- 
pel, which is the will of his Father, to his 
people, and that perfect law will afterwards 
be preached to all the nations of the earth. 
The gifts which thou hast presented with an 


186 THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 

humble heart to the child Jesus, as well as 
those gifts which Caspa and Melchior have 
given out of vanity, will be used by its pa- 
rents in their flight to Egypt, for Herod will 
seek the young child to destroy him, and his 
mother and Joseph her husband will go into 
Egypt to secure the child against the perse- 
cutions of Herod. But Jehovah will bless 
thee even unto the thousandth generation, 
because thou hast worshipped the Son of 
God in his present lowly condition with a 
believing heart and an humble faith. Arise 
then, Balthasar, and lift up thine eyes and I 
will show thee the glorious future reserved 
for thy people.” 

And Balthasar lifted up his eyes and be- 
held around him the different countries of 
Europe. He stood in his fatherland upon 
one of its highest mountains. Beneath him 
he saw the forests disappear, and with them 
the savage beasts ; the marshes dried up or 
changed into navigable streams. Numerous 
herds were grazing in fine meadows, and the 
fields were covered with industrious husband- 
men, guiding the plough, or sowing the yellow 
seed. Instead of the crab-apple and the bit- 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


187 


ter sloe, he beheld the noble fruit trees of 
Asia and Africa, covered with sweet, juicy, 
and nutritious food, tempting to the eye and 
palate ; even the noble grapes had become 
domesticated and covered the sides of the 
green hills. 

Everywhere he saw fine houses, numerous 
villages, and populous cities, ornamented with 
costly palaces. Bold bridges spanned the 
rivers, and high towers pointed with their 
steeples to the skies. Erom the lofty tem- 
ples issued a song of praise and thanksgiving, 
“ There is but one true God, even our God.’’ 
All knefes were bent in adoration before the 
name of Jesus, and the voice of the preacher 
was heard to say : “ What seekest thou, child 
of man? Is it the philosopher’s stone, to 
gain thereby the boon of immortality ? Be- 
hold it is found ! for Christ has taken away 
from death all its power, and whosoever be- 
lie veth in him shall never die.” 

Isaiah directed his attention to the other 
side, and Balthasar saw the broad expanse 
of the ocean covered with gigantic vessels, 
carrying away the produce of the country, 
while others returned laden with the trea- 


188 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


sures of distant climes. Among these ves- 
sels, he saw some which sailed farther than 
others, carrying from their native shores 
pious pilgrims, all descendants of the Saxons. 
They reached a distant country, a country 
of which the king had never heard. There 
they became missionaries of civilization and 
of their religion. Balthasar saw that coun- 
try improve and flourish with an almost ma- 
gical rapidity, and the kings of the old world 
bowed before it as before a young giant. 
From that country missionaries went forth 
to all climes of the earth, bearing the gospel 
of peace and good will towards men. 

Bands of little children came forward with 
their offerings to support these pious heralds 
of Christ. They laid them upon the altar of 
the Lord, for the benighted heathen children. 

Again Isaiah called the king’s attention to 
another quarter, and he saw in the distance, 
Asia and Africa still polluted with idolatry, 
still slaying its children upon the bloody 
altars of false gods. But he saw also his 
white brethren among them, going to and fro 
with their lives in their hands preaching the 
gospel of the Lord to their colored brethren : 










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BALTHA8AR-S RETURN TO HIS COUNTRY 







THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


191 


u Thus will it come to pass,” said Isaiah, 
“ the first shall he the last and the last first.” 

When he had said this, he vanished, and 
with him disappeared the scenes I have just 
described; and high in the air Balthasar 
heard the strains of sweet music, and voices 
that sang: “ Children love one another, for 
God is love, and those only that abide in 
love abide in him. Glory to God in the high- 
est, and on earth peace, good will to men.” 

Balthasar awoke from his sleep, refreshed 
in body and mind. Once more he bowed 
in adoration before the infant Saviour, and 
kissed his forehead. Erna, who stood by 
his side, took the child in her arms and 
pressed it to her bosom, while the tears of 
gratitude glistened in her eyes. 

Joseph, the husband of Mary, was already 
busy in making preparations for their flight 
into Egypt. 

Caspa concealed among Erna’s baggage a 
part of the treasure he had still in his pos- 
session, to furnish her and her companions 
with means to defray the expenses to her 
distant home. 

The three kings, suspecting the evil design 


192 


THE THREE ROYAL MAGI. 


of Herod, did not return to Jerusalem, but 
departed into their own country another way. 
Caspa went east, Melchior south, and Bal- 
thasar in a westerly direction. 

When Balthasar returned to his own coun- 
try, he was received with great rejoicings 
by his faithful people. The wicked high- 
priest having died, the king was enabled 
to abolish human sacrifice and idol worship 
among his people, who were all much attached 
to him. When he related to them what he 
had seen and heard during his journey, he in- 
duced them to adopt many of those practices 
that were worthy of imitation. 

When, therefore, afterwards, Christian mis- 
sionaries came to Germany proclaiming the 
gospel of Christ, they found the way prepared 
for them, and a well-cultivated field to labour 
in. Erna continued to enjoy uninterrupted 
health, and died in a good old age, the mo- 
ther of a sturdy race whose descendants still 
flourish in various parts of Germany. 

THE END. 

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